


Queenslayer Vestige

by DarkxPrince



Category: Code Vein (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21635755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkxPrince/pseuds/DarkxPrince
Summary: Alvira Akeldama is the newest revenant, or so it seems. With no memory of the past-save for an excruciating pain behind her left eye whenever she does try to remember-she has one purpose: save them all. But who gave her this purpose and why? Alvira has hundreds of questions and no answers, with a quest that seems nearly impossible. On the path to "saving them all" will she learn about her past or will she forget it and move on?
Comments: 8
Kudos: 41





	1. Queenslayer Part A

Alvira stared up at the ceiling, unable to rest as too many thoughts ran through her head. There had been so much that she had just learned … or perhaps,  _ relearned _ was the better word. After all, there was so much she didn’t remember - about herself and about the world - who was to say what she had and hadn’t known before. Perhaps that was what was keeping her up more than anything else. The fact that she should be able to remember. It was there; there were flashes of things - faces and people - voices echoed distantly within her mind. Yet if she concentrated too hard on any of it … pain flared behind her left eye and she screwed her eyes shut.

Though she thought about everything else, she didn’t have the time to wonder  _ why _ these things were happening,  _ why _ the pain happened. Too much had happened too quickly since the time she had awoken to Io staring down at her. She had been more concerned about staying alive, more concerned about finding blood beads in order to make sure that Io was safe. It had been the only thing she knew for sure when everything around her was unknown. It was the only thing which drove her forward through those underground tunnels. She had to make it back to Io … had to keep her safe. There had been no time to wonder why, no time to wonder where this drive to protect had come from. No time to wonder why she felt disappointed in herself for not being able to help Oliver … too preoccupied with getting back to Io.

Now, she had nothing but time and if she tried to think too much about either her lost memories or the urge to protect, pain would flare behind her eye. At least she could reflect on the events after waking up without any pain flaring up - not that there were a lot of memories to sift through. Yet the ones she did have were either of Io, or fighting. The earliest thing that she could remember was waking up to Io staring down at her, as well as the ravishing thirst that threatened to overwhelm her. Too weak to do anything, she followed Io to a dried bloodspring where she had only been mildly aware of Io’s fangs biting into her hand. Her blood dripped onto the bloodspring, which surged with renewed life. Io held out a newly formed blood bead, and Alvira devoured it quickly. The single blood bead hadn’t been enough to quench her thirst, but it had been enough to stave off the Frenzy--the plague which consumed them--which threatened to overwhelm her. Sensing that Alvira needed the rest, Io drew her head onto her lap to recover the rest of her strength.

The next thing she remembered was waking to the voice of Revenants saying they had to get ready to search for other blood beads. She and another unlucky Revenant - Oliver - had been kicked down into underground tunnels while her captors held Io. With no choice, the two of them had set out through the tunnels to see if they could find anything. The Lost were simple enough to kill: muscle memory took over and Alvira found herself swinging her sword with ease. Of course it would be one of the other Revenants who had been forced to search for blood beads which create the problem. They should have known better than to let down their guard … they should have known that the other Revenant had already Frenzied.

Oliver pushed her out of the way when the frenzied Revenant attacked them, yet her blade was still able to kill him with ease. Oliver had dropped to the ground against the tunnel wall, and waved her away when she tried to check on him. He had claimed that he just needed a few moments to rest and would catch up with her. Alvira wanted to believe him … yet she could see that the purifier mask was damaged beyond repair. Maybe she could have helped him, maybe she should not have listened to him and continued forward through the tunnels. Even now, Oliver’s fate still weighed heavy on her heart and she wondered if there was anything she could have done to keep him from becoming another monstrous Lost.

Why was she so disappointed in herself for not being able to save him? Why did she care at all about a Revenant who she had only known a few hours? Why did she care so much about Io’s safety as well? It was different with Io - though - wasn’t it? Io had been there since she had first awoken, had watched over her while she rested and recovered. Oliver, while nice enough, had only worked with her because they had been forced to.  _ So then why did it matter so much that she wasn’t able to save him?! _

Pain pulsed behind her left eye and she quickly diverted from trying to think too much about it. It would serve no one, especially herself, to try and figure something out and cause only pain. Still, she did want to know about her own past. Yet it troubled her that her memories were seemingly blocked. What happened to her, that trying to think about anything related to her past would cause pain? What trauma had she experienced that would cause her to subconsciously block out so many memories? Or, could she have died so many times that she just didn’t have any memories left? Was it simply like the memory loss all Revenants experienced when they die too often? Something told Alvira that simply wasn’t the case. So then what had happened?

“Are you feeling alright?” Io’s voice drifted from the doorway.

Alvira didn’t immediately answer, and she felt, rather than saw, Io walk into the room. The bed dipped a bit as Io sat down, that same concerned expression adorned the other revenant’s face as when Alvira had first seen her. “I’m … not sure.” Alvira’s voice was low, hoarse, and ached as if she hadn’t spoken in hundreds of years.

Io frowned slightly, and Alvira wondered briefly if the other Revenant could sense something was off. Io looked as if she wanted to press the matter further, yet confusion spread across her face as if Io herself was unaware of where her concern came from. Part of her had just thought that Io was unlike other revenants and was simply too kind-hearted, which was why she had helped her. Could there have been something else as well? Something that the both of them had forgotten?

“If you ever wish to talk, I am here.” Alvira simply nodded her head, not wanting to aggravate her seemingly damaged throat. “Louis also stated that his testing of your blood sample is done and is ready to talk whenever you’re ready.”

Louis was the Revenant that she had encountered shortly after she had left Oliver behind. She was still not entirely sure how to feel about him. He had offered his help to her without a second thought and seemingly wanted nothing in return. It was true, Alvira only had the one experience with other Revenants, yet she was sure that Louis was just waiting to reveal what he wanted in return for all of his help. Was that unfair to him though? He had offered up this place - his ‘home base’ as he called it - to both her and Io after only knowing them for such a small time. Perhaps he was just one of those rare, kind Revenants.

Even so Louis had requested a small sample of her blood to test a few theories of his. Apparently, no other Revenant had blood that could bring bloodsprings back to life or cleanse corrupted mistles. And that wasn’t even covering the fact that she had held the vestige of another Revenant and didn’t immediately frenzy. Whatever that meant, perhaps Louis had found out with his tests. Alvira supposed if there were answers, she should find out sooner rather than later. She pushed herself to her feet and motioned Io to follow her out of the room.

They found Louis on the balcony, staring out at the destruction caused by the Great Collapse and the red mist which trapped them. He turned as they approach him, pulling a small notepad from his vest pocket. “I’ve been able to determine that your Blood Code is now a void type.”

“Wha…” Alvira started to say, interrupted by a coughing fit, soothed by the circles Io was rubbing on her back.

“Forgive us,” Io stated, sensing what Alvira was going to ask. “We have forgotten much of what it means to be a Revenant.”

A look of understanding - and was that sorrow? - crossed Louis’ face. He went on to explain that all Revenants had a Blood Code which granted them their unique powers. Apparently, her Blood Code had been broken, which meant that she could acquire and hold multiple Blood Codes. In order to test that theory, Louis offered up his wrist and blood. Alvira drinks a small amount Louis' blood and feels the new power surge through her.

Alvira closed her eyes, feeling the Blood Codes call out to her. Prometheus and Berserker whisper their gifts in her mind, and she can clearly see both Louis and Oliver's faces when she concentrates on them. There were others that she could feel drawing her attention … Fighter … Caster … Ranger … yet she could not even picture their faces. If she could acquire Blood Codes from viewing a Revenant's Vestige or by drinking their blood, then where did the other three Blood Codes come from? Was that information all locked away with her forgotten memories? Alvira could feel the faintest traces of other Blood Codes, they echoed from the deepest depths of her mind. Yet they were broken and empty, no gifts called out to her and only one whispered a name …

_ Queenslayer _

Pain exploded behind her left eye and Alvira nearly collapsed to the ground. It was only because of Io's arms wrapped around her waist that she didn't. "Why?" Alvira croaked out. She wasn't sure if she was asking about how she was able to acquire new Blood Codes or she was asking why she was in so much pain.

“Unfortunately, the few tests that I was able to run was unable to answer why you have this power,” Louis said. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “We’ll keep an eye out throughout our travels and see what we find.”

“Thank you,” Io spoke for the both of them, and Alvira nodded her agreement.

Louis walked over to a large map. “I’ve been researching blood beads and the bloodsprings. So many bloodsprings have been drying up that it’s stalled my research.” He turned back to them, “Yet I believe that with your power to revitalize bloodsprings, there’s so much we can discover.”

Alvira joined him by the map, running her fingertips over several red lines that were already there. “It’s my belief that there is a source that all bloodsprings draw from. If we can find that source, then Revenants everywhere won’t frenzy or become Lost.” Louis held out his hand to her, “Will you help us?”

Alvira clasped his hand, nodding her head. A voice echoed out from the back of her mind, in a voice so familiar it hurt,  _ “Save them … save them all.” _


	2. Queenslayer Part B

The Howling Pit was a mess to travel through; Alvira thought they would be lost trying to find a bloodspring. They hadn’t even really been sure they would find one down here, for all of Louis’ research he had never really pinpointed all of the nearby bloodsprings. Their search had been slow going to begin with as they searched everywhere they could have--really the only  _ two  _ places they had knowledge of. They found two different bloodsprings; one in the Old City Ruins and one in the Dried Up Trenches. When they tried to trace the flow of the vein the bloodspring drew from, it led them back towards the Old City Ruins when it should have led away.

Which was how they found themselves in the Howling Pit, trying to find another bloodspring to see where it would lead them. At least it seemed luck was mostly on their side, as they managed to find a bloodspring. As with the others, a small drop of Alvira’s blood revitalized the bloodspring and it sprouted with renewed life - a single blood bead hanging from a pure white branch. They were unlucky in the fact that when Louis tried to trace the vein the bloodspring drew from, it lead them back the way they just traveled from. Which meant they were back where they started from and fresh out of leads … was it possible that there was something in the Old City Ruins they had missed?

Both Louis and Yakumo - another Revenant who partnered with Louis - wanted to immediately go back and search. Yet Alvira suggested they return to Home Base and rest before heading back out, it would do them no good just to aimlessly wander the Old City Ruins hoping they would find something. Besides, Alvira had a feeling they should finish exploring the Howling Pit - not that she particularly wanted to travel through this miserable swamp. Even so, perhaps there was something here they either missed or something they could find to give them a new lead.

Something sprinted past Alvira and the warning she wanted to shout caught in her throat. Luckily Louis noticed as well and shouted his own warning, “Yakumo!”

Yakumo reacted instantly, catching the attack against his weapon and Alvira caught the barest glances of blonde hair. The attacking Revenant bounced off Yakumo’s weapon and charged at Louis instead. Alvira was between them instantly, swinging her sword and forcing the hostile Revenant away. The other Revenant skidded to a stop, and Alvira could finally get a good look at their attacker. Blonde hair tied up in twin pig-tails, a black long coat style blood veil, and of course the rifle which was pointed right at them. Alvira was only slightly surprised to realize that the Revenant attacking them looked no older than a teenager. What poor fate befell this young woman to turn her into a Revenant at such an age? Were it not for the rifle pointed at her, Alvira probably would have asked.

“Hand over all your blood beads!” The young Revenant demanded. “No one wants this to turn violent, so just hand them over.”

“And if we don’t?” Yakumo growled in response and Alvira had the sudden urge to hit him upside the head.

“Then I’ll  _ take _ them!” The young Revenant responded, drawing on the power of her blood veil, the barbed tail materializing around her.

_ “Save them …” _ The voice whispered from the back of Alvira’s mind, and before she could think twice about it, she plucked a blood bead from the bloodspring and approached the young Revenant. Alvira held her arm out, offering the blood bead to the young Revenant. A pebble landed between her and the young Revenant, stopping Alvira in her tracks. Their attention was drawn to the side, her gaze landing on that of a …  _ child revenant?!  _ Alvira’s heart clenched in something that could be anger, and something pulsed behind her left eye. It wasn’t pain, as it often was when she thought of her past, but it certainly was  _ something _ . Her fists clenched tightly, the only outward sign of her anger. How was this possible? No one so young should have been turned into a Revenant … and yet there was one right before her eyes.

“Get away from Mia!” The child yelled, breathing heavily.

“Nicola!” The now named Mia shouted, running over as the child fell forward. “Why are you out here?” Mia chastised, cradling him in her arms. Alvira was too far away to hear whatever Nicola said even as his body was wracked with coughs.

“He’s on the verge of a frenzy,” Louis observed.

Alvira massaged her own throat, reminded of the insatiable thirst which had nearly overwhelmed her when she first woke up. Alvira started forward again, offering the blood bead out once more. As if just reminded of their presence, Mia drew on the power of her blood veil. “You lay one finger on him and I’ll kill you all.” The barbed tail wrapped protectively around both herself and Nicola.

Alvira shook her head, stabbing her sword into the ground and continued forward weaponless. She knelt in front of the other two Revenants and held out the blood bead once more. “Take it,” Alvira croaked out. While her throat no longer hurt if she talked too much, it was still raw and sore. Alvira accepted the fact that she may never talk properly again or it would take far longer to heal than it should.

The barbed tail disappeared and Mia took the blood bead with only a little hesitancy. Alvira watched as the young Revenant held the blood bead so the child could drink. Nicola tried to push the blood bead towards Mia, yet the young Revenant merely stated she was fine and that he needed it more. Nicola devoured the blood bead, yet his breathing was still labored, as if it had not truly helped.

Mia helped Nicola back to his feet, making sure their purifier masks were affixed over their faces. “I just need to find more,” the young Revenant whispered, walking away and keeping a firm hold of Nicola’s hand.

Alvira instinctively reached out, shouting “Wait!” as loudly as her damaged throat would allow. Either they did not hear her or they simply ignored her; Mia and Nicola continued deeper into the Howling Pit. Alvira shook her head as she retrieved her sword from where she placed it, already knowing what she was going to do now. The Lost were vicious enough as it was without worrying about someone on the verge of a Frenzy. Not to mention that apparently there was a hostile Revenant simply known as “The Hunter,” and he had been spotted in the area. Alvira wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if something happened to them when it was within her power to help and protect them.

“I don’t suppose …” Yakumo began to say, and this time Alvira really did slap him over the head as she passed. As if they were going to do anything other than going after those far too young Revenants … as if they were going to do anything else except save those two.

As confusing and maze-like as the first half of the Howling Pit was, at least the second half was slightly less so. It was more or less straight forward, with the only real hazard a few flooded areas which made it hard to tell where the paths simply dropped into chasms. Yet even those were simple enough to drain with the pull of a lever and they were able to proceed further. Which left only the Lost to wade through, and they fell to their combined might. Still, they should have at least spotted Mia and Nicola by now. The two young Revenants couldn’t possibly have gotten  _ that _ far ahead of them … could they? Or were they better at hiding from the Lost? Depending on how long they had been by themselves, Alvira wouldn’t doubt it.

_ “Nicola … why?” _

_ “Don’t worry, it’ll be quick and clean.” _

_ “Stop! Nicola! No!” _

The voices were faint yet still sounded like they were close and she only recognized Mia’s. Did that mean that other voice belonged to the Hunter? If that was the case … no! She couldn’t be too late! She couldn’t fail to save someone! Not again! She had to protect them! Alvira barely heard Yakumo’s shout of “We gotta hurry!” as she sprinted ahead of them.

The first thing she noticed when she rounded the corner was Mia on her knees before a pile of … ash? No no no no no no no “NO!” Alvira screamed and she didn’t care how much damage she caused her throat. She jumped at the other Revenant - whom she assumed was the Hunter - and swung her blade. The Hunter merely jumped back to avoid her strike and disappeared in a red mist. Alvira turned and knelt in front of Mia, tentatively reaching out to the young Revenant. She had failed to protect someone - again! What good was she if she couldn’t protect them! She should have been faster … she should have been stronger.

“Watch out! Something's coming!” Louis shouted seconds before a large sickle-like blade was driven into the ground and a large, clearly female, Lost landed next to it. Alvira was on her feet facing the new threat within seconds, a growl forming in the back of her throat. She spared the briefest of glances back at Mia, who was still on the ground sightlessly staring at the pile of ash. Alvira’s eyes glowed red as her anger mounted, they didn’t have time for this. They needed to deal with this Lost before it could hurt Mia. Alvira  _ would not _ fail to protect someone again.

Alvira charged forward, uncaring of the danger the new Lost posed, intent on ending things as fast as possible. The Lost was surprisingly fast despite the size, and it wielded it’s weapon with the same swiftness of its movements and all the brutal power that Alvira had come to expect from the Lost. Even so, Alvira was faster and she was able to avoid the majority of the Lost’s attacks and managing to land several of her own. Focused as she was on ending things quickly, she mistimed a block and caught the shaft of the Lost’s weapon in the stomach. Alvira was thrown back and crashed into one of the surrounding walls and dropped to her knees, her sword slipping from her fingers.

She stared through blurry eyes as both Yakumo and Louis engaged the Lost, the former staying a little back to better protect Mia. Yet as strong as the other two Revenants were, they couldn’t beat the Lost while protecting Mia. And all that Alvira could think about was watching them be killed by the Lost. All she could think about was how she had failed to protect them. All she could think about was how weak she was that she could save them. No, she wouldn’t let it happen! She would save them … SHE WOULD SAVE THEM ALL!

Alvira dashed to her feet, her eyes glowing a brighter red as she drew on her own blood veil, her right arm transforming into a claw. The Lost swung its sickle at her, and Alvira ducked beneath its strike. With an enraged scream, she buried her claw within the chest of the Lost. For the briefest of seconds - and unseen by everyone - Alvira’s eyes glowed a bright blue as she tore her claw clean through the Lost. The Lost collapsed to its knees, fading to ash as all life was drained from it. Alvira breathed deeply, trying to calm her ragged breathing as her arm returned to normal. She had done it, she had protected them … she had kept them safe.

She saw Mia behind Louis and Yakumo, ashes falling through the young Revenant’s fingers and … was that a red glow? She pushed past them and grabbed the Vestige out of Mia’s hands before it could cause her to Frenzy. Alvira could feel the Vestige trying to force her into a Frenzy, yet she pushed past the pain. She raised her arm which clutched the Vestige, her left eye glowed blue as her vision turned white and she was drawn into the memories encased within it.

_ “Mia, I’ll be back.” That was Nicola’s voice and they were in a room, what could only be hospital beds lined the wall. She could clearly see Mia’s body laid out on one of the beds. _

_ “I’m sorry, it’s time.” That was the voice of the Hunter … what was he doing here? _

_ “You shouldn’t sleep so late, you know.” Nicola said, and the area around them faded away to reveal a mountain trail. _

_ “She’s going to be so mad at me,” Nicola said, walking beside the figure who she assumed was the Hunter. _

_ “Once you’re in there, you’re in forever … are you sure?” The Hunter said as they continued along the trail. Alvira felt her confusion grow, what did he mean? Where was he taking Nicola? _

_ “I’m sure, I want to keep Mia safe.” Nicola responded, a cold winter storm covered the mountain trail with snow and everything faded to white again. _

Alvira’s vision and senses returned to her just as Louis shouted “She’s losing herself!” and Alvira reacted without thinking. She wrapped her arms around the thrashing Revenant and held her tightly. Alvira held on as tightly as possible as Louis and Yakumo got the blood beads from their packs. After everything that had happened, after failing to save Nicola … Alvira would not fail to save Mia now. She would save them … she had to.


	3. Queenslayer Part C

If Alvira thought the Howling Pit was a maddening maze to travel through, then the Cathedral of Sacred Blood was a nightmarish labyrinth. It was a beautiful area to be sure—all ivory walkways and stairs. Yet it was that very same reason that it was a nightmare to navigate. One staircase looked exactly like the other and they found themselves backtracking more than progressing forward. Even the Lost were surprisingly tough to handle; they were faster and stronger and Alvira found herself being pushed to her limits. They were all being pushed to their limits, and they were all feeling exhaustion starting to set. Alvira had lost track of time since they had arrived within the cathedral … but it certainly felt like days if not weeks.

Louis and Yakumo were a little further ahead, trying to make sure they didn’t inadvertently go down a path they had already taken. Alvira walked with Mia at her side, the young Revenant oddly silent. It was only because of Mia that they found a bloodspring which led them right to the cathedral. All Mia asked for in return was a way to the frozen mountain she had seen in a dream, hoping to find answers about Nicola. Alvira wondered to herself if it was the same snowy mountain she saw in the vestige, and if it was, why was it so important? Alvira would be lying if she said she didn’t want to find answers just as much as Mia did. She failed to save Nicola - and nothing she did could ever make up for that - but perhaps she could help keep Mia safe for him.

Not that Mia needed much protecting, she was just as strong as the rest of them. Mia also proved to have expert aim with her rifle, though Alvira had never doubted the younger Revenant’s skill - one did not survive alone for so long in this blood-starved world without the skills to keep themselves safe. Several times Mia was able to spot one of the Lost dangling from the ledge of the walkway and shoot him down. Just as many times as Alvira cut down the Lost and turned to face the next challenge, did she find Lost dispersing to haze, a hole shot clean through its head. It was truly surprising how well they all fought together, considering the short time they had been together.

Alvira found herself slowing her pace, falling slightly behind her other companions, and looked over her shoulder, half expecting to find Io there. Alvira frowned and turned fully, wondering when it became so normal to just expect Io to be there and why she was disappointed the other Revenant wasn’t. Whenever she returned to Home Base, Io was always there to greet her. Whenever she needed something Io was there to offer help. If Alvira ever needed to talk about anything, Io was always an open ear. Several times, Io would appear even before Alvira realized what she needed. It was almost eerie how Io seemed to know what Alvira needed even before she herself knew.

They couldn't possibly have been together long enough that Io not being there was strange. Could they have been? They both had lost so much of their memory that it was possible they had known each other for far longer than she could remember. Or could it be something else? Was there something else which drove the other Revenant to act the way she did? Alvira shook her head, perhaps she was just over-thinking things. Louis had explained that a Revenant’s personality would never really change even with memory loss. Surely Io was just naturally kindhearted and just willing to help in any way she could. Alvira suppressed a sigh unable to shake the feeling that there was more to everything and that it was connected to …

“Alvira?” Mia’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “Everything okay?”

Alvira turned and nodded her head, in part because she didn’t trust her voice and in part because she didn’t want to worry the young Revenant. She should know better than to let down her guard when there were still Lost around … and she should certainly know better than to try and think about her past when the pain it caused could endanger everyone. Mia looked like she didn’t believe her and wanted to inquire further, and Alvira gave her a reassuring look. There was time to talk when they were through this area or when they found a mistle to rest at, though Alvira was unsure if she wanted to burden the others with her thoughts.

Which was not to say that she still didn’t trust the others. They had all been through enough together that Alvira would certainly call them all friends, it was just … Alvira sighed quietly to herself. Louis, Yakumo, Mia, and everyone else back at Home Base had already been through so much already, Alvira didn’t want to add anything. She didn’t want to burden them anymore than they already were, and Alvira had a constant urge to take on as much of  _ their _ burdens as she could.

“You know,” Mia spoke up, drawing her attention, “I may not have known you for as long as the others, but I hope you know that you can talk to me whenever you need it.” Alvira nodded her gratitude, and the two continued on in silence. It was several minutes before Mia spoke up again, “And I wanted to thank you for every....”

Alvira must not have been paying attention to where she was walking because the next thing she knew she was tumbling off the edge of the walkway. Time seemed to slow to a halt as she instinctively turned to try and grab the ledge of the walkway even as it slipped past her reach. Immediately her mind tried to find an alternative to save herself and …  _ there _ . A Lost was clinging to the ledge of a walkway above where she had just been with Mia. Could she warp to the Lost and either grab hold of that same ledge or even land on the one she had just been on? She could certainly try, after all, the worst that would happen was that it didn’t work and she’d …

_ Fall _

She was  _ falling _ .

Alvira’s eyes widened and terror settled over her like a dead weight. It seized her mind and froze her limbs. Her breath caught in her lungs, her mouth open in a soundless scream. For a brief, maddening second, she felt as if something had pierced her heart. Felt as if she was fading away into ash. Felt like she was going to fade away into nothing and never open her eyes again. She jerked to a halt as something wrapped around her waist and caught her, pulling her back towards the walkway.

Her feet hadn't even touched the ground - the barbed tail of Mia’s blood veil uncoiled around her - and she was scrambling away from the edge. She pressed her back up against an intact railing, her breaths ragged and quick as she hyperventilated. Her chest constricted and why couldn't she get air into her lungs? She reached up and tore the purifier mask from her face. Why was there still not enough air?! She pressed herself as hard as she could into the railing behind her. She had to get as far away from the edge as she could. She had to ground herself so that -  _ crack _ \- Alvira froze as if stabbed.  _ Of course _ the damned railing would be weak and give way at any second.  _ Of course _ it would fall apart behind her and send her tumbling back over the edge

And down

And  _ down _

_ And down _

She was only vaguely aware of Mia saying her name as Louis and Yakumo ran over, yet she couldn’t hear anything over her own ragged breathing. Her breaths and blood pounded against her ears and deafened the world around her. All she could think about was getting away and finding a way to ground herself. But how? She couldn’t trust the walkways they had traversed not to give way under her feet. And she certainly didn’t trust herself to try and make it back to the mistle without getting lost. Even if she managed to make it to the mistle, there was no guarantee that it would calm her racing heart. She only dimly heard Louis say something about Home Base and then it clicked in her terror addled brain.

Her hands shook as she dug around in the pouch at her waist, fumbling with the vivifier as she withdrew it. The vivifier was useful in the fact that it simulated a death and allowed the Revenant to reawaken at the mistle they had last rested at. Was it a risk that Alvira would simply reawaken at the mistle within the Cathedral of Sacred Blood and not at Home Base? Yes, it was. She really didn’t care right now. With a soundless scream she plunged the needle into her neck, and as the world around her faded to black, all she could think of was Io.

Terror gripped her heart once more and it took all of her willpower not to panic as she felt her body dissipate, that familiar sense of dislocation which came with moving between mistles enveloping her. Her body hadn’t even fully materialized before she was scrambling back away from the mistle within Home Base. This time when her back collided with something solid, there was no sound of breaking as she pressed herself against it. At least she still had the presence of mind to call out for Io. She did call out? Right? Between the terror seizing her lungs and her still slightly damaged throat, it was hard to tell if the sound she made was Io’s name or if it was even loud enough.

It must have been enough, or Io was waiting close by the mistle or simply  _ knew _ something was wrong and had hurried over. Alvira found her face cradled within the other Revenant’s hands, and staring into Io’s golden gaze. “I am here, Alvira.” Io’s voice was soft, yet she could clearly hear it over the pounding in her ears. “I am here.” Io repeated, and Alvira allowed herself to be repositioned, her back against Io’s chest. Alvira concentrated on the move of Io’s chest as the other Revenant breathed steadily, forcing herself to try and mimic the movement. “Rest now, I am here, I have you.” Despite herself, Alvira found her eyes heavy with weariness, exhaustion setting in as the terror and panic started to subside.

Alvira must have fallen asleep, for the next time she opened her eyes the wall of her room greeted her. She could feel the soft mattress of her bed as well as the lap her head rested upon. She turned her head slightly, finding Io’s concerned gaze staring down at her. “How are you feeling?” Io’s voice is soft, and there’s a warmth there that Alvira can’t quite place. She shakes her head and buries her face against Io’s lap, not trusting her voice to betray her. She felt Io run a hand through her crimson hair, “Rest, and I will be here when you are ready.”

The comforting feeling of Io running her hand through her hair must have lulled Alvira back to sleep. When Alvira wakes the second time, her limbs are stiff but her breathing is even and there’s no panic at the edge of her mind. She rose from bed, careful not to disturb Io whom had fallen asleep against the headboard, and stretched. She picked up the lone blood bead which was on the nightstand, one of the others must have left it for her. She sank her fangs into it and slowly drank, too lost in thought and in no hurry to do anything. So lost in thought, she nearly jumped out of her skin at the gentle knock which sounded from the door.

It must have woken Io up, for the other Revenant said, “Yes?” before Alvira could respond.

Louis walked in, and Alvira could see the concern clear upon his face. “I wanted to check in and see how you’re feeling.” He paused, as if he wanted to add something and Alvira had a feeling she knew what it was anyway.

“I’m fine now,” Alvira mumbled, turning away from him. She gazed down at the empty blood bead clutched in her hand, small cracks appearing from the force of her hold. Logically she knew she should talk to someone about what had happened. But where could she even begin? How could she even explain anything?

“Do you know what happened?” Louis inquired, finally voicing the question Alvira knew he had wanted to ask as soon as he entered the room.

“I don’t know,” Alvira whispered. It was true enough, at any rate. She really didn’t know why she had reacted the way she had. She had her suspicion of what it could be linked to … and her left eye throbbed faintly at the mere  _ thought _ of trying to think about her past memories.

“I know we’ve only known each other for a short time,” Louis said. “But I hope you know that you can be open about anything.” After a moment of silence he added, “None of us here will think differently of you.”

Alvira could hear the pity which coated his every word, and it grated on her. Why didn’t he understand? He, more than anyone, should understand. He was the one who had told her everything there was to know about being a Revenant. Did he really think she was uncomfortable about talking about what had happened? Did he really think that she didn’t trust him or anyone else here? Was it so hard to believe that she really didn’t know? She bared her fangs in a snarl as her anger mounted. Why was it so hard to believe that -

“I DON’T REMEMBER!” Alvira shouted, turning and hurling the blood bead. To his credit, Louis didn’t even flinch as the blood bead sailed past his head and shattered against the wall. Her breathing was ragged, and this time it was for a whole different reason. It frustrated her that she didn’t have answers. Didn’t have answers as to why she had lost all of her memories. Didn’t have answers why her left eye throbbed with pain anytime she tried to recall anything. Didn’t have any answers as to why she always had a constant urge to help and save those around her. Didn’t have any answers to why she had reacted the way she had when she fell from the walkway.

Alvira didn’t wait for Louis to respond and stormed past him out of her room. She either needed to find answers to questions which threatened to overwhelm her like a frenzy, or she needed air and space to think clearly. She wasn’t really sure which it was but figured she’d know by the time she made it to the mistle. And, as it turned out, she  _ still _ didn’t know what she needed even as she stared down at the mistle. She hadn’t moved for what felt like hours, even when she felt Io take her normal position behind her, she stared down at the mistle.

“What is it you want most, Alvira?” Io’s voice was soft and low and empty of all emotion save concern.

Alvira closed her eyes and allowed Io’s words to bounce around her mind. What did she want? She had always been so concerned with what other people needed and how she could help -  _ save  _ \- them. She had never given what she wanted any thought. Never allowed herself to be a little selfish when there was always someone to help. Could she do it now? Could she be just a little bit selfish and just worry about what she wanted? But that still posed the question of what did she want? Too many questions swirled around her mind and not enough -

“Answers.” Alvira stated simply, placing her hand over the mistle and willing it to take her back to the Cathedral of Sacred Blood.


	4. Queenslayer Part D

The vestige called out to her like none other. It pulsed and pulled the closer she drew near it. She didn’t even think as she picked up the vestige. There was no pain like with the other vestiges. No sense of frenzy or wrongness. Only a sense of  _ rightness _ . Like something was being returned to its proper place. She was drawn into the vestige’s memories instantaneously.

_ A familiar sword was stabbed into the ground before her. It couldn’t be her sword … could it? _

_ “Many of your comrades have been consumed by the Queen’s miasma, lost themselves and are puppets of the enemy.” Someone was speaking and she found herself standing among dozens of other Revenants. They all stood before a raised platform, listening to the Revenant standing upon it. “Some of you had to fight former friends, yet you have returned home, and so I salute you all.” She had the strangest feeling she had heard this all before. “Keep your loved ones in your thoughts and remember those who have been turned to ash.” As everything faded to black, his voice rang out one last time, “Fight by my side and we will bring this hell to an end!” _

_ “Remember to protect your heart,” a Revenant yelled as the surrounding area came into view. “There’s no coming back if you get hit there!” _

_ They were all before a single enemy, a lone woman--if her eyes didn’t deceive her. There was some kind of blue miasma which rolled off the woman in waves, and something deep within her called out to her. She should’ve known who she was … shouldn’t she? Dozens of crystalline spears materialized over the woman’s head, which, after a second, launched themselves at the attacking Revenants. She screamed as several tore through her body, and the last thought as everything snapped to black: at least none pierced my heart. _

She opened her eyes slowly, only vaguely recognizing the ceiling of a medical tent. She sat up slowly, taking in the sight of other Revenants still recovering on beds, and swung her legs over the side of her own. The movement drew the attention of another woman -  _ a nurse… researcher? _

“Do you remember where you are?” the other woman asked. She felt her brow furrow for a moment - her sluggish brain told her it was one of the military outposts and she nodded. “You were killed two days ago, and now you have returned.” The nurse held out a tablet. “Could you fill out this form with everything that you remember?”

She took the tablet and stared down at it for several minutes. She felt only mildly disappointed in herself that she could only fill in the ‘name’ portion of the form - Alvira Akeldama. With a small shake of her head she handed the tablet back to the nurse. She gazed down at her hand as the other woman ran some tests, and Alvira had the strangest sense something was off. Alvira felt as if she shouldn’t be wearing the military type blood veil that she currently had on … felt as if she shouldn’t even be here and should be somewhere else.

“We Revenants are resilient beings,” the nurse said, drawing Alvira’s attention to her. She held out some type of mask which would cover the lower half of her face. “The Queen’s miasma is getting thicker, so remember to wear this at all times. Otherwise, you may become one of the Lost and beyond saving.” Alvira took the mask and afixed it to her face, finally rising to her feet.

A siren blared out and cut off any other train of thought. “Looks like you’re going to be heading back into the fight.” The nurse said, checking something on the tablet. “And it appears they’ve assigned you to Jack Rutherford’s squad, so you’ll be in good hands.”

Alvira nodded absentmindedly and left the medical tent, she knew of Jack only by name and reputation. Her first stop was the armory, she needed a weapon and the one she had been using before she had been killed was too big and unwieldy. She walked the rows of weapons provided for Operation QUEENSLAYER - testing out hammers, halberds, rifles, and spears yet none felt right. She paused in front of one of the rows of swords and ran her hand down one of the blades. There was nothing overly special about this blade, it was exactly like the dozens of other blades beside it. Still it called out to her like an old friend long forgotten, yet dearly remembered. She took the sword in hand - the hilt of the sword fit perfectly as if she had always wielded it - and gave a few test swings, finding she could move as fast as her muscles remembered and wanted to. It was the strangest sense of deja vu that Alvira had ever experienced, and she wondered if that was going to happen a lot. After all, Revenants lost memories with each death.

Alvira passed by the woman who had helped her in the medical tent and she was talking to another one of the researchers. “How is your brother doing, Karen?” the other researcher asked.

“Louis hasn’t woken up yet, but I’m hopeful.” The now named Karen replied.

Honestly, Alvira didn’t mean to overhear their conversation. Something deep within her mind called out to her and she should have recognized those names: Louis - and to a lesser extent, Karen. For the briefest of seconds, a place of ivory and a red-eyed Revenant flashed within her mind. Had she heard of them in passing and just forgotten about them? Had she met them before and they all had forgotten? The fact that almost everything was so familiar to her was starting to annoy her. It certainly didn’t help matters that she had no memories of anything except her name. Alvira wondered briefly if her sanity was going to survive if everything kept calling out to her like she should recognize it.

She found her squadmates by one of the barricades, and she was thankful that none of them looked familiar to her. Of course, their squad leader - Jack Rutherford himself - was the only one who seemed familiar to her. And not in the way she expected having known him by reputation. Something once again called out from the deepest depths of her mind. It was … a warning, perhaps? Telling her to be on her guard? But from what? She shook her head, trying to clear it. Of course she should be on guard. The Lost and The Queen were out there trying to kill them all, and she’d end up like so many other Revenants if she let her concentration slip.

“Alright.” Jack spoke up from the front of the group, drawing all of their attention. “We’ve received reports that the Queen has broken through our defensive grid, and we also have reports that she’s been wounded in the attempt.” He paused here, and Alvira had the sense that he wanted that bit of news to give the squad some hope. “With luck we could end this today! Pair up and head out, and remember to fall back if needed. There is no shame in retreat if you’re overwhelmed, or bared that, protect your heart and take out as many as you can!”

That seemed to rouse the other Revenants and they charged forward, apparently already having paired together. That left her alone with … Jack, which really wasn’t as bad has her mind was telling her it might be. They nodded to each other and headed out, content to carry out their mission in silence. It was almost a surprise how fast they were able to understand each other’s fighting style and take advantage, the Lost falling easily to their blades. Which was not to say that the Lost were easy to kill, far from it. Perhaps it was the proximity of the Queen, but the Lost seemed stronger than they had previously. And was her memory playing tricks on her … or did there seem to be more Lost than she remembered?

The Lost swarmed in seemingly endless waves, no sooner than one was defeated another would be upon her. She tore her sword out of a Lost and used the momentum to spin around and slash at another. They had not even turned to ash when more were upon her, and she found herself on the defensive. She blocked their strikes even as she backpedalled, waiting for an opening to attack. One of the Lost got a lucky strike in, its blade slashing across the side of her stomach. She grit her teeth and ignored it, she could already feel her body regenerating and with a yell she drove her blade through its chest. She blocked the next strike without even thinking about it, and parried another, using the momentum to spin and slice at the Lost’s neck. Alvira breathed deeply as the last of the Lost fell, that fight had taken more out of her then she had expected.

Luckily they found a mistle close by … unluckily, however, it was still corrupted. “Here, use this to cleanse the mistle.” Jack tossed something at her. She caught it and stared down at the vial in her hand. Before she could ask what it was Jack explained, “It’s a special medicine made from the Queen’s blood that allows us to cleanse any mistles that we encounter.”

Alvira popped the top and allowed a small droplet to fall onto the mistle, watching as it sprouted with renewed life. Alvira frowned slightly and stared at her hand, the sudden urge to prick her own finger and use a drop of her own blood nearly overwhelming her. So preoccupied with why she had felt that way, she nearly missed Jack saying: “We can rest here for a bit before pressing on.” Alvira nodded and settled herself against the walls by the mistle.

They were silent for several minutes before Jack spoke again: “I pity the Queen.” Alvira glanced at him from the corner of her eye and waited for him to continue. “She was a Revenant, like us, who believed in everyone living in safety. Yet she had the potential to become so much more.” He paused to let that sink in. “In the end she was consumed by her own exceptional power and desires nothing more than to kill everyone.” Alvira ran a hand over her left eye and through her hair, it truly was rather sad. All the Queen had wanted was to save people … to save everyone. “Now all we can do is end her,” Jack continued, Alvira nodded and returned to her feet. Together they set out once more; there was still a mission to carry out.

It wasn’t long before they were confronted by another Lost, though Alvira could already tell how much stronger this one was. There were Revenants who had been killed by this very same Lost and they had taken to calling it Queen’s Knight. Whether that was because it used both a sword and shield, or because the Queen would inevitably appear soon after, Alvira did not know. In the end it didn’t really matter to Alvira anyway; they had to kill the Queen and this Lost was standing in their way. She and Jack shared a brief glance and charged forward, intent on carrying out their mission.

The Queen’s Knight was faster than Alvira was expecting, it forced her onto the defensive. Just as often as Alvira blocked a sword strike, she found herself dodging a strike from its shield. Several times it landed lucky hits against her, yet she ignored them all as her body quickly regenerated and healed. It was a long and drawn out battle, driving her to her limits and she could sense Jack exhausting as well. If this didn’t end quickly, neither Jack nor herself would be in any state to fight the Queen. Her blood sang with its gifts as she charged the Queen’s Knight, its back to her as it focused its attention on Jack. Blood swirled around her, lifting her off the ground slightly even as her blade blurred, striking the Queen’s Knight half a dozen times. Alvira spun one last time and drove her blade into its chest and watched as it turned to ash.

It was a feeling, more than anything that alerted them of the Queen’s presence. A shift in the wind, a heaviness in the air which screamed from the deepest depths of their base instincts which told them to flee like rabbits before a wolf. They didn’t, as much as their minds hollered at them to do so, they couldn’t afford to flee. Too many Revenants had died to the Queen, too many Revenants had been corrupted by her blood … if they were to retreat now, all of those sacrifices would have been in vain. So Alvira did the only thing that she could do; shoved the fear to the furthest corner of her mind, tightened her grip upon her blade, and readied herself for battle. Jack said something but she ignored it, her attention fully on the Queen - and once again something deep within her called out as if all this had happened before.

Dozens of crystalline spears materialized above the Queen and launched themselves at the both of them. Alvira and Jack dashed forward, weaving between the spears to avoid them. Jack reached the Queen first and swung his sword at her neck. The Queen merely caught the attack with her hand and blasted Jack away with a wave of pure energy. Alvira jumped at the Queen and brought her own blade to bear. Without even looking, the Queen blocked the attack and tossed Alvira away. Alvira barely slid to a stop when Jack joined her, and dozens more spears materialized over the Queen’s head. Alvira knew instinctively that there were far too many spears to avoid and merely covered her heart with her sword to try and protect it.

When she felt nothing pierce her body, Alvira glance up and found the spears being held back by a red shield. Jack’s shout snapped her gaze to the side and there was a Revenant there, presumably the one responsible for the shield holding the Queen’s spears back. A part of Alvira recognized the Revenant that had saved them … was that … was that the leader? Something close to hope bloomed within her chest. If he was here, then perhaps there really was a chance that the Queen could finally be killed. Perhaps there was a chance that it could finally end and they would be safe from the Queen’s miasma. With a yell she and Jack charged the Queen once more with renewed strength.

The Queen must have been distracted by the appearance of the other Revenant for she was barely able to jump back to avoid Jack’s attack. Alvira took advantage and swung her own blade, catching the Queen and throwing her back against the cliff face. Jack was on her in seconds, his arm pressed into the Queen’s throat and Alvira dashed forward. Several crystalline spears appeared point blank and they were blasted through the air by the force of the attack. Luckily none of the spears tore through Alvira’s body, but one spear knocked the purifier mask from Alvira’s face. She screamed even as she skipped and skidded along the ground, her weapon wrenched from her grip.

Alvira barely pushed herself to her hands and knees and took a gulp of air … and  _ choked _ .

Her hand flew to her neck, the miasma was thick and it clawed at her lungs threatening to consume her. Her vision blurred and her head pounded. Was this what it felt like to become one of the Lost? Was this how she would finally lose all sense of self and become nothing more than a blood-starved monster? Was this the true danger of the Queen? Simply being corrupted into another mindless beast? After everything that she had been through … after all the times she had died and returned to life … after all the battles she had survived … was this how she was going to end?

Alvira could feel the Queen looming behind her, the miasma so thick around her it was almost visible. Alvira choked again, her hand around her own throat, feeling something within herself burn and change. The Queen had been so much stronger than she had thought … than they had all thought. Had this mission to kill the Queen been destined to fail? Was the Queen simply unkillable? Were they all destined to become corrupted into the mindless Lost? Was that all Revenants would ever be? Trapped in an endless cycle of death and rebirth? Slowly losing their memories and pieces of themselves?

Alvira stared down at her hand, her vision blurry. It couldn’t end this way.  _ She _ couldn’t end this way. She had fought too long and given up too much of herself to die here! She could feel a power surging through her, yet it was wild and uncontrolled. She felt the change - felt how her arm bulged and transformed, felt something cover the lower half of her face that certainly wasn’t the purifier mask that had been shot off. She was on her feet and driving the claw that was her arm into the Queen’s chest with a shout of anger.

The Queen’s azure eyes stared into her own, one of her hands came up to gently caress her check and Alvira nuzzled it thoughtlessly. The Queen’s lips moved, yet Alvira could hear nothing through the roaring blood pounding through her ears. She could feel something being absorbed from the Queen. Was she draining the Queen’s blood? How was that possible without her fangs to the Queen’s neck? Alvira wrenched her arm back, feeling the claw transform back into her normal arm, the Queen stumbled away, dark blue blood pouring from the wound. The Queen collapsed to the ground and turned to nothing but ash.

Alvira stared blankly at the sight. Was it finally over? Was the Queen finally dead? She wasn’t choking on miasma anymore, but … something still felt wrong. Talking drew her attention to the side, two fellow Revenants stood there gazing at her. She should’ve known who they were...why couldn’t she remember who they were? Hadn’t she just been fighting side by side with them? Had so much of her memory already been lost to her? Or was something else happening to her? Her mind felt sluggish and she couldn’t form any thoughts. She reached out to them, hoping that they could help with whatever was happening to her.

That’s when she felt it - it roared in her ears and her blood burned within her. She could feel the tears of blood oozing from her eyes and if she could have seen her own face - she would have seen one of her eyes had turned azure. It almost felt as if a Frenzy was coming over her - that insatiable thirst when a Revenant goes too long without blood.

One of the Revenants raised his hand, a ball of energy forming in his palm. It shot out at her and pierced her chest. Alvira stumbled back with a grasp, her foot slipping on the edge of the cliff and she fell back. 

_ As she fell through the air, darkness started to take over her vision. Yet she could clearly see her hand, saw it turn to ash and crumble away. It was the strangest feeling, knowing that she was dying. She expected to feel every agonizing second as her body turned to ash and crumble away as she fell. Yet there was no pain, just a numbness as everything faded to black. _

Alvira opened her eyes, her sluggish mind telling her that she was still within the Cathedral of Sacred Blood. It took several minutes for her muddied brain to catch up with all that had transpired … all that she had witnessed. The memories she had just re-lived flooded her mind, pain exploded behind her left eye again forcing her to her knees. She clutched at the invisible wound in her chest and 

_ Screamed _ .


	5. Queenslayer Part E

_ Successor of the Blood... _

Alvira felt the frown on her face as she thought of the title - her title. Well, she wanted answers and she finally had them. She tore her way through the Cathedral of Sacred Blood with a fierceness that could have rivaled even the blood-thirstiest Lost. She desired answers and it didn’t matter what stood in her way of getting them. She had killed dozens of Lost with a power and strength unlike any from the other blood codes she had acquired. Perhaps because it was her own blood code that she had reclaimed after re-living that memory. Her blood sang to her with its proper gifts and she had never felt more powerful. This was who she was and who she had become ….

_ Queenslayer. _

More than a name of an old operation and more than a name for half a dozen weapons. It was etched into her very blood and whatever name her previous blood code had was no more. She was the one who killed the Queen all those years ago. She had drawn on the power of her blood veil and plunged her claw into the Queen’s chest. Yet she had done so much more than just kill the Queen. She drank deeply of the Queen’s blood without even realizing she was doing it and now part of the Queen literally coursed through her veins. She pricked a finger on her fang and watched as the dark blue blood beaded on her skin. At least that gave her answers as to  _ why _ she could purify mistles and view the vestiges of other Revenants. It didn’t answer why  _ her _ , but if the memory she had recovered was to be believed, it was more luck than anything else.

Luck, that she was just one of a hand full of people who had a high compatibility with the Queen’s blood and power that she wouldn’t be immediately corrupted. Luck, that she had been the one to deliver the final blow and drain the Queen’s blood. Luck, that she had become the first of many Successors which had inadvertently saved her life when Jack shot and killed her. Luck that she had found out about any of this when they made it within the main building of the cathedral. Luck that she had any of the answers she now possessed. Of course, now that she had them … she wasn’t sure she wanted them.

Within the heart of the cathedral, they found another Frenzied Lost - later they learned they had confronted the Successor of the Ribcage - and the battle that ensued was the hardest yet. Unlike other Lost, the Successor did not engage in physical combat and merely channeled its gifts into casting spells. There were plenty of times when Alvira dodged or rolled beneath a beam of energy, then found the area beneath her feet glowing white hot with energy. Several times, she misjudged a dodge and took a fireball or lightning strike to the face. It was only thanks to the gifts her reclaimed blood code granted her that she had been able to win the fight. Not that the fight ended there, as the Successor’s body quickly regenerated and they were forced to fight once more.

It was another grueling and drawn out battle before they were victorious, and they discovered the first of the relics. While her companions tried to figure out a way to destroy the relic, several memories flashed through Alvira’s mind. Io’s voice drifted through her mind, reminding Alvira of the first time she had viewed the vestige of another Revenant. More importantly, the memory of when Alvira had killed the Queen flashed through her mind. “Save everyone” echoed in her mind in a voice she should have recognized. Was it the Queen’s voice? Alvira was unsure, yet it didn’t matter at the time as she strode forward and touched the relic.

Pain shot through her body and Alvira felt the relic as it tried to overwhelm her. Still she pushed through, drawing on her power and forcing it to submit … to show her the memories it contained like all vestiges before it. It worked and they were drawn into the memories of the Successor of the Ribcage … into Aurora’s memories. Yet more than memories, they had encountered Aurora’s spirit. It was Aurora that told them all about what had happened to the Queen after that fated day Alvira killed her. As it turns out, the Queen was an immortal amongst immortals, no matter how many times the Queen was killed she would simply regenerate. So they did the only thing that they could do, they sealed away the Queen’s power into relics and implanted them into Revenants. And so, the Successors were born and brought to crypts where they were to remain for eternity.

Another thought crept into her mind;  _ why didn’t she have a crypt? _ If every Successor had their own crypt which they remained within, why didn’t she? Did something happen when she had taken the Queen’s power? Did  _ she _ do something wrong or was she just not as valued as some of the other Successors? Was it because of the fact that she had been killed shortly after she had drained the Queen’s blood?  _ It doesn’t really matter,  _ Alvira tried to tell herself. Besides, if she was locked within a crypt, she’d have a hard time  _ saving everyone _ that was now her mission. She frowned at the mere thought of being locked away with no interaction with anyone. How lonely the Successors must feel, alone by themselves for all eternity. Alvira wasn’t really sure she’d be able to remain sane if she had been locked within a crypt. But, then again, she wouldn’t really be alone … would she? Every Successor had an Attendant that remained and guarded their crypt. If she had been locked within a crypt, or she had never met Louis, at least -

“Alvira?” Io’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

A smile formed on Alvira’s lips as Io moved fully into the room. Alvira was Io’s Successor just as much as Io was Alvira’s Attendant. It explained why Io was always there every time that Alvira returned to Home Base. Why Io was always there every time Alvira needed to talk to someone. Why it was so easy to talk to Io instead of anyone else? Even though Revenant’s bodies regenerated on its own, Io was always there to take care of her if her wounds were taking longer than normal to heal. It also explained why Io was able to calm her like no one else, why Alvira could truly relax in her presence. Alvira frowned even as she thought about all Io had done for her. Had Io been driven to do those things simply because she was an Attendant? Yet that didn’t feel right either. When they had first found each other, neither one had any memories of the past. After everything that had happened … was Alvira insulting Io by simply accounting everything to Io being her Attendant?

“I have been thinking about what we saw within the Vestige of the other Attendant,” Io’s voice dragged Alvira out of her thoughts once again. When Alvira opened her eyes, Io was kneeling before her and their eyes met. There was something in Io’s gaze that Alvira still couldn’t really place, or maybe something that Alvira didn’t want to admit. “The other Attendant performed her duty to the end and remained by her Successor’s side. And yet …” Alvira remained silent as Io paused, letting the other Revenant gather her thoughts. “And yet it feels empty. We were created to stand by our Successor’s side and to lessen their burden.” Alvira wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind nor did it seem right. Io herself seemed like she had more on her mind anyway. “Even so, I cannot help but feel that serving one’s duty so faithfully could be so empty.”

“What is it you want, Io?” Alvira asked, mirroring the same words that the other Revenant had told her once before.

Surprise flashed within Io’s golden eyes as if the mere thought that Alvira was interested in what she wanted, was a foreign concept. “I do not know,” Io said, taking Alvira’s hands in her own. “However, for now, I wish to carry out my duty as your Attendant and remain by your side to protect you.”

Alvira squeezed Io’s hands gently, “I don’t want to put you in any danger.”

Io shook her head, “Do not worry about me, my Successor; if it keeps you safe, I will bear any burden.” Io paused before continuing, as if she was unsure of what to say, “I could not bear it if anything happened to you when I could have protected you.”

There were only a couple of things Alvira thought Io was talking about, such as what had happened at the Cathedral of Sacred Blood. The first was after they had fought the Successor of the Ribcage, after she had  _ saved _ Aurora and restored her mind and sanity and the other was after Alvira’s panic attack. 

After they had found the source of the bloodsprings, who - as it turns out - was Louis’ sister Karen. The same Karen that Alvira could remember from the time she killed the Queen. They had been returning to a mistle so they could go to Home Base and plan out their next move when they were confronted by The Hunter. The same Hunter, who killed Nicola, and this time Alvira had no problem recognizing the Revenant.

Of course it was Jack Rutherford, the one who had killed her when she had drained the Queen’s blood. The only consolation was that he appeared to be just as surprised to see her as she was to see him. The fact that he was able to figure out that she was a Successor now was a problem for another day. He gave her an offer to join them, saying that with her power they could do some good. Yet he had said it in such a way that it made Alvira’s skin crawl; said it as if he hadn’t killed Nicola, said it as if he hadn’t killed  _ her _ , said it like none of that mattered and it was either join him or die. In the end it didn’t really matter anyway, there was still far too little they knew about anything that was happening and they all prepared for a fight.

Not that they really had much of a chance if the ensuring fight was anything to go by. For all their skill, it felt more like Jack was either testing them or playing with them. He blocked both Yakumo and Louis’ attacks and batted them away without a second thought. He easily dodged both her attack and the barbed tail of Mia’s blood veil as if the fighting just bored him. Alvira had barely been able to roll out of the way of the dozens of blades which had shot out of the ground when she had charged Jack once again. Apparently Jack had a companion, a woman named Eva - if they had heard Jack’s shout correctly - who had come to make sure that he did not take things too far. Alvira had the sinking feeling that ‘going too far’ meant killing one of them as he had Nicola.

Her panic attack--caused by her falling from a walkway and viewing her own memories--was the only other thing she could think of. Would things have been different if Io had been there when both of those things happened instead of stuck at Home Base? Would Alvira have been paying attention to where she was walking if Io had been there? Would Io have saved her before she fell? Would Io have been able to calm her when she fell? When she had been in so much pain after recovering her own memories Yakumo had to carry her to a mistle and force feed her several blood beads to keep her from frenzying. Would any of that have been different if Io had been there? Alvira can’t really say for sure, but a small part of her wants to believe that it would have.

Another part of her also believed that she would have been too preoccupied with worrying about Io’s safety to properly concentrate on fighting. Io herself had said that she wasn’t really a good fighter and had been wounded when she had been looking for Alvira. Had something changed? Did Io remember something after viewing the Attendant’s Vestige? The blood code  _ Eos _ called out to her without Alvira really thinking about it, the gifts it granted whispering to her mind. The blood code was just as much a part of Io as it was now a part of Alvira … as it had been part of that other Attendant. Alvira searched Io’s golden eyes for any hesitancy and found none. Still, Alvira would be lying if she said she wouldn’t worry about Io’s safety just as she worried about Louis or Yakumo or Mia.

_ You’d worry a lot more about Io being safe than anyone else. _ Her mind accused her and Alvira really couldn’t even disagree with herself. Though why that was, Alvira really didn’t have an answer. Wasn’t even really sure she wanted to think too much into anything now. Especially after everything that they had learned within the Cathedral of Sacred Blood.  _ You know the reason you coward. _ The same voice said from the back of her mind, and Alvira pointedly ignored it this time by shifting focus to other thoughts.

They did, afterall, have a new goal and a new lead now that they had found the source of the bloodsprings. Finding and saving the other Successors didn’t seem like such a change of goal for Alvira, considering she still heard  _ “save them all” _ echo around her head every so often. It was a tall order for any single Revenant, and Alvira still wondered if she’d actually fulfill it, or if it would be too much by herself. There were nights when she was plagued by nightmares of her past failures. When the voices of Oliver and Nicola and half a dozen other Revenants she recognized only because she had taken their blood code and seen their memories taunted her. Sometimes even Louis, Yakumo, or Mia - and on rare occasions when she couldn’t hold anything back - even Io would join in as well. All of their voices swirling together in her mind, one on top of the other on top of the other.

Accused her of being  _ too slow _ …

Not  _ powerful _ enough…

Not  _ doing _ more…

Not  _ being _ there...

Not saving them … not  _ saving _ them … not  _ saving them _ …  _ not saving _ -

Io tightened her hold upon her hands and Alvira forced the thoughts away before they could overwhelm her. It was those nights she found Io with her, either wrapped up in Io’s arms or her head on Io’s lap with the other Revenant’s fingers running through her hair. Io would never speak in those moments, there was no reason to, Io simply knew that all Alvira needed was to be held and allowed to cry. Alvira smiled despite herself, as she remembered the peace which filled her whenever she found herself alone with Io. Alvira would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t miss Io whenever she was away from Home Base. Besides, hadn’t she fallen from the walkway in the cathedral because she had been distracted by Io’s missing presence?

Still, a part of her was overjoyed at the prospect of traveling with Io by her side. True Louis, Yakumo, Mia, and herself all fought well together. But how much better would she and Io fight together? Would their bond as Attendant and Successor grant some form of added bonus? Would they fight perfectly together? Would they be able to take advantage of openings created by the other without even thinking or communicating? There was really only one way to find out, regardless how part of her didn’t want to put Io in danger. Alvira still refused to admit to herself why keeping Io as safe as possible was her highest priority, but in the end it was Io’s choice. If the other Revenant was certain that she wanted to remain by Alvira’s side even when fighting the Lost … how could Alvira deny her that?

“Very well, my Attendant,” Alvira said, “Let us travel together.” Something close to joy flashed within Io’s eyes, and the other Revenant nodded her gratitude. Together they made their way to the mistle, making two quick stops to resupply and to check on her weapon, and for Io to choose what weapon she wanted to use.

As loathe as Alvira was to return to the Cathedral of Sacred Blood, the path leading forward was hidden somewhere among those walkways and corridors. For the first time since she started on this journey, Alvira felt like she’d be able to complete it … so long as Io was by her side.


	6. Queenslayer Part F

_ She was back in that same hospital with Mia laying unmoving on a cot, Nicola seated on the edge of the bed and now she recognized Jack standing there as well. It was Jack’s voice which echoed across the memory first, “All Successors have the ability to manipulate their crypt into a form that best suits them. What will you choose, Nicola?” _

_ There was childlike innocence within his voice when Nicola responded, “If I had to choose, I’d want something really cool … like a giant robot that fights evil.” _

_ “Perhaps something that puts your heart at ease.” Jack suggested. _

_ “A place I can relax?” Nicola asked as everything faded to black, the little boy’s voice echoing out of the darkness, “Okay, I got it!” _

_ A mountain pass faded into view, and Alvira recognized it as the same path she had seen in the previous Vestige. Both Nicola and Jack were walking along the trail again, and it was Nicola’s voice which cut through the silence, “So, since I’m a Successor … would I be able to make a copy of myself to be with Mia?” There was nothing but concern within the little boy’s voice as he added, “I know Mia is tough, but she gets lonely. So I know she’d be really sad if she knew I was gone.” _

_ “No,” Jack responded immediately, “The Relics are simply too powerful, the more you use it the more you risk Frenzy. Maintaining a duplicate of yourself would put too much of a strain on you, I can not allow that.” He was silent for only a few moments as they continued up the mountain path. “Besides, the crypt will cut you off completely from the outside world.” Alvira was unsure if there was any sadness in Jack’s voice as he added, “You’d have no way of knowing if it worked.” _

_ They were at the summit of the mountain now, Jack’s voice drifting through the darkness as everything faded from view once more, “You’re the bravest fighter we have, may you have a long peaceful rest.” _

_ When the surrounding area came into view, only Nicola remained surrounded by ice and snow. The sadness and loneliness which radiated off of him, even through the memory echo, was enough to bring tears to Alvira’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Jack, but I have to do it.” Even as everything turned to white Alvira caught sight of a second Nicola, the child Revenant’s voice echoing around her, “I have to help Mia … no matter what.” There was a brief flash of doors opening and Alvira had the oddest sense that she was being thrown out of the memory. _

The snow-covered mountain snapped back into sharp focus so suddenly Alvira nearly stumbled and fell. No sooner had she felt Io’s steadying hand upon her back, she felt someone else lose their grip upon her arm. Alvira was kneeling next to Mia and drawing the younger Revenant into her arms as she cried.

“All this time,” Mia sobbed, “I thought I was with him but it was only a clone. Then by the time I had awoken as a Revenant, he was already ...” Mia clung tighter to Alvira as her body was wracked with sobs. “We were always together, we were always going to be together and all this time he … he was…” Alvira held Mia tightly as the young Revenant cried, “He was alone all this time and I never even suspected!”

Alvira turned her gaze out towards the rest of the mountain’s summit, staring upon what she suspected was Nicola’s crypt. The ice covered spires which twisted up into the air and made something akin to a dome could be nothing  _ but _ a Successor’s crypt. If everything that had been revealed within the Vestiges was true, Nicola was the Successor that dwelt here. And if that was the case, then perhaps Alvira could right a past failure and save Nicola … the  _ real _ Nicola. First, of course, they would have to make it there and Alvira knew even without looking across the summit that there was Lost all over. If the paths leading here were any indication, there were plenty of spots covered by snow and ice ready to break and send them tumbling down chasms.

Alvira helped Mia back to her feet, placing a reassuring hand on the younger Revenant’s shoulder. “Let’s go save your brother,” Alvira said. Together, they all set out across the summit of the Ridge of Frozen Souls.

They took their time traversing the snow, careful of the Lost which roamed and any that could be hidden. Alvira remembered the first time a Lost had appeared from beneath the snow, explosives strapped to its chest. She could remember the heat and force of the explosion as it detonated right on top of them. After that they all started to watch any lumps within the snow, paranoid another Lost would jump out. Besides trying to blow them off cliffs, at least the Lost weren’t terrible to deal with, even if the cold felt like it was trying to sap their strength. With any luck, they would make it to Nicola’s crypt without too much fuss or anything bad happening.

Almost as the thought finished forming in her mind - and almost as if fate had deemed it fit to prove her wrong - a large Lost roared a challenge at them. The Lost was easily twice the size of other Lost, all corded muscle and some type of ice armor covering its body and claws. Alvira recognized it as a Boreal Brute Louis noted from an earlier expedition. Alvira charged forward without hesitation, sensing Io right behind her. With nothing more than a thought, Alvira ran her hand down the length of her blade, fire coating all of their weapons. The Boreal Brute roared its challenge again and charged, curling in on itself and spinning at them, the attack caught Alvira off guard and it slammed into her chest. It sent her flying through the air and into one of the ruined buildings which dotted the summit. Alvira forced herself back to her feet, her body instantly regenerated and healed her wounds, charging the Brute once more.

Even with all of them attacking the Boreal Brute, they barely chipped away at the ice armor which covered its body. Of course it was fast as well, swinging its claws with the same speed and strength they swung their own weapons. Alvira barely dodged around its strikes, struggling to hold her blade against the strength of the Brute’s claws. The Brute slammed its arms down on the ground, the force of the attack sent snow flying into the air and sent them all onto their backs. Alvira was on her feet and drawing the attention away from her companions who were still trying to regain their senses. The Brute stabbed a claw into the snow and tore a chunk of ice off the ground and hurled it at her companions. Time slowed and Alvira did the only thing she could think of, she threw her sword.

The sword impacted the chunk of ice and shattered it, the Brute turned fully to face her and roared. The Brute curled in on itself again and charged at her, Alvira braced herself for the attack she knew she couldn’t dodge or block. Instead, the Brute stopped in front of her and brought its claws down upon the ground, the snow it kicked up blocking her vision. Alvira wasn’t even really sure what happened next … all she felt was something tear into her chest and lift her up off the ground. Once the snow cleared, all Alvira could do was stare down at the Brute’s claw which she was impaled upon.

Her brows knit in confusion the more she gazed upon the claw embedded in her chest. Her vision blurred, even as her brain tried to make sense of everything. Why wasn’t she dispersing and reappearing at the mistle? For that matter, how had one of the claws  _ not _ hit her heart? How was it that her body wasn’t turning to ash? Something pulsed within her mind, deja vu washing over her, it had all happened before … hadn’t it? She had been impaled upon someone’s claw before … hadn’t she? Yet unlike the last time, someone screamed her name. Was that Io’s voice? Somewhere in the back of her mind Alvira registered it as Io’s scream and something even deeper within her blood snapped.

Alvira dug her fingers into the Brute’s arm, making sure to keep it from flinging her off. It felt like ages before Alvira was able to lift her head to gaze into the eyes of the Boreal Brute. If Alvira could have seen herself, she would have seen her left eye turn azure and she certainly felt the tears of blood which fell from her eye. The Boreal Brute roared, its face mere inches away from her own and uncaring of the lone crystalline spear which materialized next to Alvira’s head. At such close range, the Brute had no chance to defend itself when the spear launched into its head, the rest of the beast dispersing into haze. Alvira crashed to the ground in a heap, coughing up dark blue blood even as more poured from the holes in her chest.

Alvira gasped as something washed over her, the healing energies trying to take care of her wounds. It wasn’t even close to enough to heal her - Alvira could still feel the holes in her chest as she struggled to breathe. Still, the question of why she wasn’t dispersing and reappearing at the mistle swirled around her head. It had not been the first time that she had taken so much damage that her body couldn’t regenerate and awaken at a mistle. Had her body not taken enough damage for her to  _ die _ ? Or was there something else that was keeping her body together? Did the fact that she was aware of her status as a Successor mean that she no longer would reawaken at a mistle? Would her body just regenerate now, no matter how much damage she had taken?

Alvira felt her body turn over, yet still all she could see through her blurry vision was white and gold. Was that one of her companions? Were they saying something to her? If they were, she couldn’t hear anything over the roar of the blood in her ears and the throbbing pain behind her left eye. There had to be something that she could do to heal faster. It didn’t even have to heal her completely, just enough so that she could make it to a mistle. If she could get there, then perhaps the mistle’s own regenerative arua could speed along her recovery. Of course, that either meant backtracking to the mistle they had past, or try to find another one close by. Alvira knew there were plenty of Lost which prowled the summit, which threatened her other companions. Alvira would never forgive herself if something happened to them when she was recovering. She’d never forgive herself if she couldn’t  _ save them _ .

She reached deep within her blood, searching for a gift which could heal her. It was an instinct more than anything, drawing her towards the gift at the far edges of her mind. It was there, all she had to do was reach for it just a little bit more. Her arm extended out towards the sky, the gift just within her grasp. Alvira clenched her fist as the gift whispered its name -

_ Final Journey _

Alvira’s back arched, air surged through her repaired lungs, and she cried out as pain shot through her rapidly healing body. Still, something felt wrong. Her body was healed but her breathing was still labored. It was almost like the time when she had first awoken to Io staring down at her. That insatiable thirst of having gone too long without blood overwhelming her senses. Alvira suspected if she was ever going to Frenzy, it would be now. Something was placed over her mouth and Alvira bit her fangs into it instinctively. Alvira greedily drank the blood as it poured into her mouth, feeling it re-energize her. The Frenzy subsided, she could still feel it but it’s not overwhelming her senses anymore. As such, her vision finally cleared enough that she can finally see Io staring down at her, worry shining clear in the Attendant’s eyes.

Alvira reached up, gently cupping Io’s face and brushing away a tear that had started to form. “Thank you,” she mumbled.

Io merely shook her head, placing her own hand over Alvira’s, “It is my duty to protect you as well.” Io stated, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. As their hands continued to touch, Alvira’s gaze was drawn to the bite marks on Io’s wrist. “I will protect you no matter what.” Io said, almost as if she knew what Alvira was going to say.

Alvira heard her other companions approach and she turned her attention to them, who all stood further away than she expected. Were they afraid of her? What had happened? She only vaguely remembered killing the Boreal Brute, though she couldn’t remember how she had done it.

“Alvira?” Louis said. Why did it sound like he was unsure who he was talking to? And what was that look in his eyes? If Alvira wasn’t still a little weak and if there weren’t still Lost wandering around, she would have asked him.

“Are you alright?” Mia asked, only a little less hesitant than the others. If Alvira really cared to look, she would have still seen that same fear in the young Revenant’s eyes that she saw in Louis’. Though, in Mia’s case, it was more of an instinctual fear, as if she didn’t really understand what had happened but something told her to be afraid.

“I’m fine,” Alvira stated, allowing Io to help her to her feet. She gazed around the summit again, taking note of all the Lost still wandering around, some uncomfortably close to their current position. Alvira sighed only slightly, while she wanted to know what bothered her companions, there would be time for that later … when they weren’t freezing in the snow and ice.

As it turned out, there was a mistle close by and Alvira purified it like all the others she had encountered. She breathed deeply, allowing the mistle’s own regenerative aura to heal what she couldn’t and re-energize her. She catches Louis staring down at where her blood dropped onto the mistle, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Before she even had the chance to ask about it, Louis shook his head and turned to talk quietly with Yakumo. Alvira turned her attention to Mia, intent on seeing if the young Revenant was alright, and stopped herself from saying anything. Mia was sitting against one of the walls by the mistle with her eyes closed. She couldn’t tell if Mia was sleeping or lost in her own thoughts as well, but decided not to bother her.

Alvira closed her eyes and tried to repress the sigh that wanted to escape her throat. While Io’s presence at her side was comforting as always, Alvira couldn’t shake the odd feeling in her chest. They all had done this very same thing almost every time they had encountered a mistle … so why did this one feel so strange? Why did she feel so alone … even surrounded by her friends? Had something changed and did she miss it?  _ Had _ she done something in the fight against the Boreal Brute and now they were all unsure how to approach her? Were they afraid of her now and were trying to hide it? Alvira nearly growled deep in her throat as she moved away from the mistle, trying not to draw attention to herself.

She stopped at the edge of a hole in the ground, and she could clearly see some type of cave system below. She glanced back over to her companions, not really surprised but only a little disappointed when it appeared none of them noticed she had moved. Alvira sighed quietly to herself and jumped down into the cave, pointedly ignoring the conveniently placed ladder. She waited only long enough to make sure Io had followed her down into the cave, and together the two of them set off. Alvira wasn’t really sure she had wanted the others to notice she had left or if she just wanted to give them the space they clearly wanted. In the end it didn’t really matter, did it? Or maybe it did. After everything that they had done together - after all that Alvira had done to save and help them - it all felt like such a betrayal.

Her anger returned and she tore through the Lost with the same brutal effectiveness she had displayed when she had returned to the Cathedral of Sacred Blood. One Lost didn’t even stand a chance, her claw buried so far through its chest it was cleaved cleanly in two. Alvira never really thought that mindlessly tearing through Lost was going to improve her mood. Her blood boiled in anger and even the frigid mountain air did nothing to cool her off.

Luckily or unluckily, there were surprisingly few lost and before she knew it she was before Nicola’s crypt. Unlike at the cathedral, there was no door blocking her view of what lay within, nothing to stop her from seeing what Nicola had become. Any other time, the knight-like appearance he now had would have been impressive, the antlers which sprouted from the helm would have been intimidating if one wasn’t broken in half, and it was clear that even kneeling he was still a head or two taller than Alvira. She steeled herself and tightened her hold upon her weapon before striding through into the crypt. She was here to save Nicola, to right a past wrong and to ease Mia’s burden … nothing else really mattered right now. No matter how much her anger still burned and was looking for anything to take it out on.

Alvira may not have been prepared for the small army of Nicola clones to materialize in front of her, but she certainly wasn’t surprised. She wasn’t even surprised when the clones all launched themselves at the real Nicola or when Nicola threw all of the clones off himself. He stood to his full height and roared, slamming a massive metal shield down in front of him. Alvira ran her hand down the length of her blade, fire erupted along it and she charged forward.

His shield was too large and her sword was too small to effectively block any of the attacks. So she did what she’d always done best - weaved between the enemy’s strikes, and attacked when they were open. And there were plenty of openings; Nicola was large and it made him slower than she had come to expect from a Successor. Of course, he hit  _ hard _ to make up for his lack of speed and if it wasn’t for one of her regenerative gifts, she would have been dead several times over. That was not even taking into account the massive icicles he tried to impale her on or the small spears of ice sent flying at her. Alvira dodged and rolled under all of the attacks, taking the opportunities to strike with her own sword when she could. At some point, Nicola roared and discarded his shield, launching himself into the air and slamming back down onto the ground.

Alvira flew back from the shockwave and quickly rolled out of the way as Nicola charged past her. She was on her feet and charging at his exposed back, he simply pivoted and backhanded her away. She crashed into a wall, barely remaining on her feet and only a little concerned that her body hadn’t immediately regenerated from the damage she took.  _ Final Journey _ called out from deep within her blood again, her back arched as she was instantly healed. She jumped to the side as Nicola charged at her again, nearly gliding through the air as she dodged around his attacks. Nicola slammed a fist into the ground and Alvira took advantage, vaulting off the arm and into the air. As she fell back towards the ground, she plunged her sword into the gap between helm and breastplate.

With one last roar Nicola’s body dissipated, the relic floating before her. Not willing to give the relic enough time to regenerate his body, Alvira slammed her hand against the relic. Tendrils sprout from the relic, trying to overpower her, yet Alvira did not give in. All her anger and frustrations tore from her throat in a mangled scream, and her eyes flashed bright azure as  _ she _ overpowered the relic. As the world around her faded into white - even as she was drawn into the memories of the relic - she was dimly aware of someone grabbing onto her arm.

_ “When is Mia going to wake up?” Nicola asked. He was standing before Mia’s hospital bed again. _

_ “No one can really say for sure,” a woman answered him. “Some never wake up, I’m sorry.” _

_ “Okay,” Nicola tried not to sound too concerned, but Alvira heard it plain as day even as things fade to black. _

_ “Are you sure?” Jack’s voice sounded out as things faded back into view. They were outside now, and Alvira vaguely recognized it as something similar to the military outpost she had seen within her own memories. “You’re still only a child.” _

_ “It doesn’t matter.” There was a conviction in Nicola’s voice that could only come from one so young who believed something full heartedly. “When I’m a Successor, I can keep Mia safe.” Even as the scene faded away, Nicola could be heard saying: “And I can’t just let the world be destroyed before Mia wakes up any way.” _

_ “I wonder if Mia is awake yet.” Nicola said, his knees to his chest as he sat on the ground. Alvira tried to walk over to him, yet he simply moved away from her. “I hope she’s alright.” The memory echo slipped further away, Nicola’s voice drifted back to her, “I’m fighting for you.” Finally the crypt came into view and Alvira barely saw Nicola standing there alone. “Get well soon, Mia.” _

_ “Nicola!” Mia’s voice nearly startled Alvira. She had forgotten that someone had grabbed onto her just as she was being pulled into the memory. Mia rushed past her, nearly bumping into Alvira in her haste. Mia gathered her little brother in her arms, holding him tightly. “I’m so sorry. I left you all alone this whole time.” _

_ “It’s okay, Mia, really it is.” Nicola said, holding on just as tightly. “I’m glad you’re finally awake.” He looked over shoulder at the rest of them, and Alvira was only now aware that Louis and Yakumo had followed into the memory as well. “It looks like you made some great friends.” _

_ “Only because of you,” Mia said hugging Nicola again. “It didn’t matter if it was a clone, you were always there alongside me and it gave me the strength to continue on.” Mia’s voice broke as she continued, tears falling from her eyes. “You protected me and gave me courage. What more could I have asked for?” They remained like that for several seconds before Mia pulled back, slightly, “Nicola Karnstein, my dear little brother, you have truly become the bravest and most noble knight. I love you, Nicola.” _

_ “I love you too, sis.” Nicola responded, a smile on his face even as his body turned to ash yet it did not dissipate. _

_ Mia hugged the ashen statue gently, silent sobs racking her body. Alvira approached slowly, standing next to the siblings. Alvira could feel the regret stabbing at her heart, angry with herself for what she was tempted to do. Was she really going to let her anger cloud her mind? Was she really just going to let this memory of Nicola fade away into ash? Had she really almost denied Mia seeing her little brother again? Hadn’t she come here to save Nicola as she had saved Aurora? _

_ “I’m so sorry,” Alvira said. She wasn’t really sure what for or to whom she was apologizing, but she knew she had to say it. She placed her hand atop Nicola’s head, the memory echo fading to white around them. _

When their senses returned, Nicola was standing where the relic had been floating and still within the towering knight-like form. Mia once again rushed forward and threw herself at the massive form that was now her brother. Alvira suddenly felt like she was intruding on a private family moment, and she backed away slowly. Alvira closed her eyes, exhaustion almost too much to bear and she likely would have collapsed if it weren’t for Io’s ever-present hand upon her back. She was not really sure if she was exhausted from the fight or because of the emotions warring within her, but it didn’t really make much of a difference.

Alvira sighed and turned on her heel, wanting to give Nicola and Mia some privacy as they reconnected. Or … at least … that’s what she tried telling herself. It had been clear back at the mistle that her other companions were wary of her now and wanted space. Besides, she needed to be alone for a bit to short through everything that had happened here. Alvira did her best to ignore the voice at the back of her mind telling her to stop being such a coward and liar.


	7. Queenslayer Part G

Alvira lay on her back, eyes closed, allowing the hot water of the spring to move her body in its natural direction. This was exactly what she needed after the events that had transpired. She allowed herself to free her mind of all thoughts as the water wrapped itself around her and soothed her body. It was her own little hideaway … not that she was really hiding. Anyone could walk into the hot spring at any moment and find her. Not that she was  _ hiding _ , she was  _ relaxing _ . The fact that she had returned to home base before the others had nothing to do with anything. Certainly didn’t have anything to do with the fact that she wanted to be alone to sort through things and it  _ certainly _ didn’t have anything to do with the others being wary of her now.

She tried not to think too much into that right now, regardless of how much her thoughts always returned. If only she could remember exactly what she had done to kill the Boreal Brute, maybe she would be able to understand their reactions. Or - if she wasn’t being such a coward, her mind told her - she could just ask them. She wasn’t being cowardly, she tried to argue with herself. Perhaps if she gave them some space to process it then it would be easier to work through it as well. Besides, if her companions wanted to talk about what had happened, wouldn’t they have approached her at the mistle after the fight? Wouldn’t they have tried to stop her from leaving after the reunion with Nicola?  _ Maybe if you had given your companions enough time, they might have, _ her mind chastised her.  _ Instead you ran away at the first opportunity. _

Alvira really couldn’t even argue with herself, looking back at it all now. She really had just run away from them and not even allowed them the chance to approach her. It had been the best thing to do at the time, she tried to tell herself. She was still dealing with the roaring emotions within herself that she wasn’t even sure if that confrontation would have been anything but heated. Her anger and frustration at her companions’ sudden shift in their behavior towards her was too overwhelming for her to say anything kind. On top of that, the emotional drain of what she almost did to Mia was too much to handle at the moment. There were too many emotions setting her blood ablaze to work through it, so she did the only thing that she could do … she left and returned here.

Maybe it was a little cowardly, she admitted to herself. However, there were few places where she could just empty her mind and focus on one thing at a time. Even fewer places where she could be relatively alone, not that she was ever truly alone anymore. Alvira cracked an eye open, slightly, to gaze over at Io sitting on the edge of the hot spring, the other Revenant soaking her legs in the warm water. It seemed that Io was taking her duty as an Attendant seriously, and was never far from Alvira at any given time. For which Alvira was immensely grateful, Io’s mere presence was always enough to cool and calm her. A thought popped into her mind and Alvira nearly kicked herself for not thinking of it sooner. Why hadn’t she asked Io about the attack with the Boreal Brute? Even if Io didn’t know why everyone else was wary of her, she could at least tell Alvira how the Brute had been killed.

“Io,” Alvira called out, turning her head slightly to face her. “How did I kill the Boreal Brute?”

Io was silent for several minutes, and Alvira almost regretted bringing it up. How could she have forgotten how shaken Io had been from the injuries she had sustained in that fight? Io’s scream still echoed in her head, and Alvira was unsure if it was just the terror which filled Io’s voice or if there was something more. “You used a spear made of crystal to kill the brute.” Io’s response tore Alvira out of her thoughts.

A spear of crystal? As far as she knew, her reclaimed blood code held no gifts that could summon a spear made of crystal. Even so, it seemed familiar - like she should’ve known what it was. Like she should’ve known where it had come from. Was that the reason behind the fear she had glimpsed within Louis’ eyes? What was so special about a spear of crystal that would garner a reaction like that? It seems that she had more questions than answers and … Alvira screwed her eyes shut. Why was the pain flaring up behind her left eye again? It hadn’t really done that since she had recovered her own memories and learned of her status as a Successor. Were they connected then? She supposed she might find out if she managed to work up the courage to confront Louis about it.

Speaking of confronting the others, she supposed she should apologize to Mia … properly this time. Apologize for not waiting for her to confront and save Nicola. Apologize for nearly allowing her anger and frustration to overwhelm her. Alvira tried to tell herself she was always going to save Nicola, was always going to restore his sanity. Still, a small part of her wondered if her anger towards how the others had treated her would have made her do something different. Wondered if she would have walked out of the doors which acted like an exit from the Vestige. She didn’t really know what would have happened if she didn’t restore Nicola’s spirit, but deep down she knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. Besides, even without the irresistible urge to save everyone she came across, Alvira knew she would never be selfish enough to allow her own emotions to come before others. Still didn’t excuse that she almost robbed Mia of her reunion with her little brother.

“You are still troubled, my Successor,” Io’s voice broke her out of her thoughts again.

“I’m … disappointed with myself,” Alvira responded.

“How so?” Io inquired. There was no judgement within her voice and for that, Alvira was immensely grateful. Alvira tried not to think why she'd be even more disappointed with herself if Io had been upset with her actions.

“Because … I …” Alvira knelt in the water and stared down at her hands. Her crimson hair, out of its usual high ponytail, blocked her face from Io’s view. Alvira could already feel the tears prick at the corners of her eyes and she didn’t want Io to worry. “I was angry and frustrated and I nearly took it out on one so innocent.”

Alvira heard Io move through the water, knelt in front of her and held her hands within her own. They remained like that for several seconds, neither saying anything. Alvira didn’t trust herself not to break down if she said anything, and she supposed Io might be searching for the right thing to say. “You have always done what you felt was right, my Successor.”

“How can you be so sure?” Alvira asked, barely stopping herself from crying.

“Because I believe in you.” Io stated simply. There was nothing but sincerity in her words, and it very nearly did make Alvira cry. It was only then that Alvira realized how close they were, and she could feel warmth spread across her cheeks that she blamed entirely on the heat of the hot springs. All she had to do was lean forward a bit and they would be—

“We all believe in you too, Alvira.” Mia’s voice startled Alvira so violently she nearly fell back into the water. Alvira peered from behind her hair to look at her other companions, they all still wore their blood veils … had they just gotten back from the Ridge of Frozen Souls? “I’m not angry, Alvira. If anything I should be apologizing to you,” Mia continued. “I was so concerned about finding Nicola and everything that we had learned, that I was ignoring everything around me.” The young Revenant wrapped her arms around herself, “I’m sorry.”

Alvira nervously moved her hair to the side, just so that she could turn her attention more fully and not have to look through it. Louis was the next one to speak up, his eyes downcast, “And I apologize if it seemed that I was distancing myself. However …” Louis paused, either to gather his thoughts or unsure if he wanted to voice it, Alvira couldn’t tell. It was a few seconds before he continued, “That spear of crystal you used to kill the Boreal Brute, was the same spear the Queen always used.”

Alvira tried to massage the left side of her head as discreetly as possible, of course it had been the Queen’s power she had used. Why hadn’t she made the connection sooner? Regardless, that didn’t fully explain the fear that she had seen in Louis’ eyes. Or why it had sounded like he wasn’t sure if he was talking to her after the fight had ended. Louis continued before Alvira could ask, “I don’t remember if I’ve ever told you, but I was there when the Queen frenzied, and when you summoned that spear to kill the Brute … for a split second I swore I felt her miasma and it brought me back to that time.” Louis was silent for several heartbeats, rubbing the back of his neck, “It was not my intention to make you feel like I was ignoring you while trying to work through what had happened.”

Alvira turned her attention to Yakumo, almost expecting him to apologize as well. “I came along to make sure these two didn’t just run away.” Yakumo shrugged. “But I should apologize as well, what kinda friend am I if I ignore one in favor of someone else?”

Io squeezing her hands brought her attention back to her Attendant, “We are all here for you, my Successor, and none of us are upset with you.” Alvira really  _ did _ cry that time, and she buried her face in Io’s neck, wrapping her arms around her Attendant. She only cried harder as she felt the others wade into the hot springs to envelop her in their arms.

Much later, when they were all dry and changed into clean clothes, Alvira leaned on the railing of the balcony overlooking the city. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back slightly, she had decided to leave her hair out of its ponytail for now and could feel it brushing her waist. She concentrated on the background nose she could hear from behind her. Murasame was in the armory like always, working to keep their gear in top shape or improving their weapons. Louis and Coco were talking about supplies that were low and would need to be restocked. She couldn’t really hear Yakumo or Mia but knew they were somewhere within home base, probably relaxing or preparing for when they headed back out. Davis was silent as always, but Alvira knew he’d be in his usual spot by the armory. Io, as always, was close by but still far enough away for Alvira to have a little bit of privacy. And beneath it all the jukebox continued to play music, loud enough that one could hear it from anywhere within home base but soft enough that it didn’t interfere with conversations.

Alvira focused on the music, she didn’t know the lyrics to the songs, but she hummed along with it anyway. Ever since she had arrived here, she always liked the music that constantly played. She found that while it didn’t clear her mind, it allowed her to work through her thoughts one at a time. Normally thoughts jumped around her head almost as fast as the Lost would attack them. For once Alvira was glad for the relative privacy, and it felt  _ normal _ . Didn’t feel like everyone else was avoiding her or suddenly mistrusted her. It felt like it had in the early days of their journey, before they had learned about the source of the blood beads and about the Successors. Alvira never thought she would miss those days, but the companionable silence which had filled home base had been a great comfort at the time. Even if Alvira never really sought out the others to talk to, just the feeling of knowing they were there had been enough. Then everything felt it started to change when they found Aurora, learned about Karen and Nicola and everything else about the Queen.

Looking back, Alvira supposed she was just as much to blame for how things had felt between them. Looking back she could see how she had started to distance herself from the others. Told herself they needed space to work through things just as much as she needed to. Told herself that she didn’t want to burden them any more than they already were. Told herself that it was more important for her to relieve them of their burdens than they hers. She shook her head and refocused on the music, none of that mattered now. No one was mad or upset with her about anything that she had done … not that she really would have blamed them. They even all reassured her that she could talk to them as well if she ever needed it, and she promised herself she would regardless of that little voice in the back of her mind telling her not to. Which brought her to her next thought … what were they going to do now? They suspected that there were other Successors that needed to be saved, yet they had no leads on where to find them or even where to begin looking.

She wasn’t sure she had heard it, but it had sounded like the doors to home base swung open and slammed shut. Of course, Davis shouting “I need a blood bead now!” erased any doubt in her mind. She was already moving even before he had finished shouting. Louis was already there and helping Davis bring whoever it was further into home base.

Alvira only saw a flash of white hair and a red dress and she stopped in her tracks. Wasn’t that … wasn’t that Jack’s companion? Eva? What was she doing here? And more importantly, how did she know to find them here? Any answers would have to wait until the frenzy subsided. Alvira already had a feeling that she wasn’t going to like any of the answers to her questions.

As it turned out, Alvira was right ... she didn’t like anything she was hearing at the moment. They were all gathered around the couches in the back of home base, listening to what Eva was telling them. “It was always known that Successors of the Relics were prone to frenzy, and that someone had to monitor them. When a Successor’s body or will break, someone had to … deal with them.” Eva paused only for a few seconds before adding, “That’s what our mission has always been.”

“Then how were you separated from each other?” Mia asked far more nicely than what Alvira would have expected. Perhaps finding the real Nicola had cooled much of the young Revenant’s anger towards Jack. Alvira almost wished she could be just as forgiving as Mia was being.

“We were on our way to check on another Successor, when we were ambushed. Jack led them away so that I could retreat. I didn’t know who else to go to and I apologize for barging in like that,” Eva responds. “I know I have no right to ask for your help but …” Anything else Eva was going to was cut off by a coughing fit. Still, Eva didn’t need to say anything for Alvira to know that she wanted them to rescue Jack.

“Do you know who attacked you?” Yakumo asked.

Eva was silent for several seconds, seemingly trying to get her thoughts in order, “I didn’t really get a good look at them, but I thought I recognized Juzo Mido.”

“Mido!” The anger which radiated from Yakumo surprised Alvira, “That bastard sold out my family!” Yakumo clenched his fists, and there was a hardness within his eyes that Alvira had never seen before. “Hell, I’ll help just to get to that bastard!”

Louis and Mia voiced their agreement with Yakumo’s statement, and all eyes turned to her. It took Alvira a few seconds to realize that they were all waiting for her thoughts on the matter. Alvira supposed that she  _ should _ help rescue Jack, regardless of her own feelings on the matter. Alvira frowned even as she crossed her arms over her chest, an odd feeling settling within her chest. For the first time in a very long time, she wasn’t really sure she wanted to save someone. Not even the insistent voice at the back of her mind telling her to save someone was enough to sway her. Alvira couldn’t exactly say why she didn’t want to save Jack. She didn’t think she was angry at Jack for killing her … or was she? She should feel something about everything that Jack had done, shouldn’t she? He had killed her when she had taken the Queen’s blood. He had seemingly killed Nicola, and he had tried to have her join him when they encountered him in the Cathedral of Sacred Blood as if he hadn’t done anything wrong. The more she thought about it she wasn’t sure if she wanted to forgive Jack or punch him in the face. Maybe she’d figure out which when they found him.

“Where were you ambushed?” Alvira mumbled, letting her companions think what they would of her response.

“There’s a cavern beneath the cathedral we were traveling through,” Eva responded. “Please be careful, they stole the relics I was keeping safe before I managed to get away.”

Alvira barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes, because  _ of course _ they had to return to the cathedral. Was it selfish of her to hope that they never would have to return to that place again? At least they were only passing through the cathedral, though they still had to search it for the entrance to the cavern. Now there was possibly the threat of unknown hostile Successors to worry about as well. Alvira would have sighed if she wasn’t so annoyed with everything. Why couldn’t it ever be  _ simple _ ? If nothing else, it was the lead they needed to continue their journey of saving the other Successors. Her other feelings about encountering Jack aside, she just needed to focus on what she's been doing …  _ saving everyone _ .


	8. Queenslayer Part H

As it turns out, Alvira was  _ not _ ready to forgive Jack. She knew because she had marched up to him and punched him in the face. It hadn’t come from a place of anger or any sense of revenge … at least, Alvira didn’t really think it had. In fact, she really wasn’t feeling much of anything towards Jack, which frustrated her more than what he had done. Because she  _ should _ be angry that he had seemingly killed Nicola. Because she  _ should _ be angry that he tried to get her to join him like he had done nothing wrong. And certainly she _ should _ want revenge for him killing her. Yet there was nothing there, no anger no vengeance … just …  _ nothing _ .

They had been traveling through the caves for awhile before they found Jack, leaning heavily on his weapon and limping forward. They must have startled him when they approached, Jack spun around and lost the grip on his weapon. Mia picked the weapon up and handed it back to him, simply thanking him for watching over the real Nicola when she couldn’t. Jack said nothing in response, merely looked over their group and locked eyes with Alvira. For a few tense seconds, Alvira thought he might say something to her but he didn’t. She could clearly see the sorrow in his eyes, which annoyed her more than anything. Alvira felt the frown on her face even as she strode forward, fists clenched tightly, he should have at least had the decency to apologize to her and explain himself.

It was his inaction more than anything that annoyed Alvira … and that’s how her fist met his face. To his credit, Jack didn’t even react to getting punched and Alvira found herself getting annoyed about that too. “I won’t apologize for anything I’ve done,” Jack said. “I did what I thought was right.” The memory of him killing her flashed in her mind, and thinking more on it, Alvira wasn’t really sure she had seen any guilt or sorrow in his eyes at the time. Maybe she really  _ should _ be angry about that. “But for what it’s worth,” Jack began to say.

“Don’t." Alvira snapped, she wasn’t interested in any half-hearted attempts at an apology. Honestly, Alvira might have punched Jack again if he had said ‘I’m sorry.'

Jack scrowled, and Alvira could see the anger start to simmer beneath the surface. “All I was going to say,” Jack ground out, “Was that I didn’t kill you out of any malice. You drank deeply of the Queen’s blood, and I thought …” Jack paused for a few seconds, and Alvira’s eyes must have been playing tricks on her because she thought there was sadness replacing the earlier anger. “I thought I was sparring you the torment of turning into one of the Lost.”

Alvira frowned and suppressed the urge to hit him again. It made sense,  _ didn’t it _ ? Of course it was such a practical reason and logically Alvira completely understood. How was Jack to know what was really happening to her when she had taken the Queen’s blood. How was Jack to know that she would survive being shot through the heart? How was Jack to know that she wouldn’t turn into a mindless Lost? Her fists clenched harder as anger started to mount, was it really that simple for him? Did nothing else matter to him? By the same token, it didn’t make sense to her  _ emotions _ . She was still angry at him for killing her. There could have been a better way to figure out if she was going to frenzy or not. He could’ve waited a few minutes. Could’ve given her the benefit of the doubt. But did he? No. He was impulsive. He went with his gut. He didn’t even  _ care  _ about what it would cost her in the end. Didn’t seem to care about everything that happened to her because of his actions.

“Eva told us that she thought Mido attacked you,” Yakumo stated, clearly trying to change the topic and break the tension.

Surprise flashed across Jack’s face for a split second before he regained his composure. “Eva told you? Good, then that means she got away safely.” Was that genuine concern and relief Alvira heard within his voice? “It also saves me some explaining.” Jack was silent for a few seconds, probably trying to recall the prior events. “It’s strange, I sensed no relic energies from Mido’s body and yet as far as I can tell, the crypt is still functioning the way it should be.” Jack limped away, muttering to himself, “I was completely blind to this deception.”

If he had been anyone else, Alvira probably would have called out for him to wait. As it was, Alvira merely frowned and watched him disappear around a corner. A very,  _ very _ small part of her wondered why it was that people always felt the need to walk off and  _ not allow her to help - save - them _ . The other part of her was more concerned about who the Successor was. The way Jack made it sound, Mido was supposed to be the Successor yet held no relic within himself. So then if Mido wasn’t the Successor, who was? And, perhaps more importantly, what was Mido up to? What was he planning that required him to steal relics? Unfortunately, she had no memories of Mido, or if she had ever encountered him it was long gone with all the rest of her memories, that would shed light on anything. As much anger as Yakumo had towards Mido, he was oddly silent about any reasons behind it.

Alvira hung further back behind everyone as they continued through the cavern, trying to put the encounter with Jack out of her mind. Yet no matter what she did, her thoughts returned to what Jack had said. Back to his complete disregard for how his actions had affected her. Back to the simple practicality of his reasons for killing her. No matter how much her brain told her she understood everything, she still didn’t  _ understand _ . Didn’t he know how traumatized she was because he killed her? Because he did what he thought was right? Of course he didn’t. He didn’t care how she froze everytime she came to a ledge. Didn’t care that she couldn’t understand why she would freeze. Didn’t care about how angry it made her because she couldn’t remember anything. Maybe the blinding pain behind her left eye had been caused by something else or maybe it only tormented her because Jack had killed her.

She could still remember the first time they had discovered the sinkhole that would have led them to the Howling Pits ….

_ There had to be another way. Yet, even as she looked around, she knew that there wasn’t. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. They had found what appeared to be an elevator shaft, but it appeared like it wasn’t working. Which left them with only one way down the sinkhole, by falling. At least there were thorn-like protrusions which jutted out from the ground and it seemed they went far enough down to where Alvira could barely make out a cave or cavern. Alvira knew that if she jumped she’d land on one of those protrusions, yet she couldn’t move. No matter how much she told her body to jump - that the protrusion was right there and she would land on it - that she wouldn’t be hurt and if she was she’d be able to regenerate - her body refused to move. So she simply stood there, Louis and Yakumo standing behind her waiting for her decision. _

_ What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she move? Dammit body, Alvira screamed at herself, jump. Just jump! But she couldn’t, no matter what she did. Logic told her, her vision told her, that no harm would come to her and yet...fear gripped her tight and refused to let go. She could hear their voices asking her what they were going to do, she could hear her own voice answering them, but nothing was coming out of her mouth.  _

_ “Alvira,” Louis stated. “We’ll have to jump if you want to proceed.”  _

_ But did they have to jump? There was no guarantee that they would find what they were looking for down there. There was no guarantee that the cave connected to anything else. Her heart pounded in her chest in rapid succession. Her fist clenched around the handle of her blade, nearly turning her knuckles white with the force of her grip. She frowned and turned on her heel, walking away from the sinkhole. There had to be other bloodsprings that they could find. There was no need to fall … _

Alvira blinked away the memory before she was lost in it. She could feel how ragged her breathing was and she tried to slow it down -

_ She was back in the Cathedral of Sacred Blood and she had torn a bloody path through the Lost that dared to stand in her way. Which was how she found herself at the top of one of many towers which dominated the cathedral, gazing down at the ledge below her. At least this time she recognized the spike of fear which pierced her chest as she thought about jumping down. Not that it really helped matters, she still didn’t understand why she froze at the prospect of falling. She could still remember the panic which settled over her as she realized she was falling. Could still remember the ragged breaths her body tried to drag into her lungs. _

_ There was no choice here! They had already scouted around the tower and there were no other routes save for the one below them. She needed to find the answers to the questions which plagued her mind and the only way to do that was to jump to the ledge below. Yet her body still refused to move. Refused to take the risk that she would react violently to it again. Alvira clenched her fists, she had to find answers, otherwise everything would be for naught. She closed her eyes, thought of Io’s comforting arms wrapped around her, stepped forward and fell … _

Alvira’s eyes swarm with tears and she didn’t even realize she had dropped to her knees. Her hand tangled in her hair and there was darkness at the edges of her vision and there was so much -

_ Pain. It lanced through her body like liquid fire, setting her nerves ablaze. It pulsed out from her heart and for a maddening second she felt as if there was a hole through her. Her teeth ground together yet her mouth was open in a soundless scream. Her back arched and she nearly fell out of the arms holding her. Was someone carrying her? It was hard to concentrate on anything that wasn’t the blinding pain which pulsed throughout her body. Was she frenzying? Was this what other Revenants felt when they lost themselves to the bloodthirst? Was she going to transform into a monstrous Lost? _

_ Something was pushed into her mouth and she sank her fangs into it by reflex. Blood poured into her mouth and she drank greedily and swiftly. It wasn’t enough though, but another was pushed against her fangs just as quickly. It was slowly helping, but what she really needed was … _

“Alvira?!” The urgency behind the voice snapped Alvira out of the memories she had been trapped within. Her vision was still blurry and there was an insistent throbbing at the back of her head. Even through all of that, she recognized Io’s voice and could almost see the concern written across Io’s face. “I am here, Alvira.” Io said, placing her hand on Alvira’s chest. “Concentrate on my voice.”

Alvira screwed her eyes shut and clung as tightly as possible to Io’s hand, nearly falling into the other Revenant. She tried to put everything but Io’s voice from her mind put it was useless, her mind kept flashing back and forth -  _ she was staring into the Queen’s azure eyes, her claw deep within the Queen’s chest and she wrenched _ \- forward and collapsed against Io, curling into a ball and one of her hands -  _ reached out towards the other Revenants there, begging for help yet no sound passed her _ \- lips pressed tightly together, trying to muffle the sobs which wracked her -  _ body was dissipating into ash, fading away into nothing and it was all just so _ \- numb, her chest heaved as she tried to drag air into her -  _ lungs there wasn’t enough air and she needed to _ \- ground herself or was that her fist slamming down onto the ground or was she -  _ tumbling to the ground, dark blue blood pouring from the massive holes that were her _ \- eyes, no that wasn’t right but there were tears of blood falling from her eyes and her head still throbbed - 

That’s when she heard it. At least, she thought she heard it. It was so hard to concentrate on anything yet the sound pierced through it all. It sounded like … singing? Was someone singing? She should’ve known that voice, shouldn’t she? It was so familiar and the more she thought about it the more it seemed like there was an echo to the singing. Like there were two people singing so closely together it was hard to distinguish between them. The more the voice sang, the more Alvira focused on it. Everything else faded away and all that filled her mind was the singing. She couldn’t understand the words, her mind was still too frayed to make them out, but the melody was familiar. It was a tune that a mother would have sung to her child or a lover to their partner.

Her lips moved along with the melody and her body began to sway to it … was she swaying? Or was someone rocking her body back and forth? Either way the motion continued to sooth her, and along with the song, dragged her back to reality. The world around her came back into focus even as her breathing slowed.

“Alvira?” Io’s voice pulled her out of her lull and she stared blankly at the other woman. Io didn’t need to say anything else for Alvira to know what the other Revenant was thinking. Of course, Alvira didn’t need to answer Io for her to know the answer to her unasked question. In response Io merely continued to sing, rocking Alvira gently back and forth.

Alvira knew that this was the last place they should be doing this, but she couldn’t really bring herself to care. In the far reaches of her mind, she knew Louis, Yakumo, and Mia would be able to keep any Lost from harming them. So Alvira merely curled further into a ball, burying her face against Io and simply cried. Through it all, there was only one question which rang through her mind,  _ “Why didn’t he understand?” _


	9. Queenslayer Part I

Everything was on fire. The ground was on fire, the buildings were on fire, even the Lost were on fire. Though honestly, Alvira wasn’t really sure she should have expected anything else from a place called “City of Falling Flame.” It was a small consolation that, at least, they didn’t have to deal with freezing cold that felt like it was sapping their strength … instead they had to deal with fire beneath their feet which threatened to burn them if they stood on it too long. They had to deal with literal walls of fire hot enough that it felt as if they were going to melt just by passing them. And  _ of course _ all of the Lost channeled fire in some form in their attacks or in their weapons because  _ why wouldn’t they _ .

They hadn’t encountered Jack again, and for that Alvira was grateful. After what happened, she wasn’t sure she’d be able handle another encounter with him. She supposed that she’d probably have to deal with all of  _ that _ eventually, but she did her best not to think about it. Not that Jack’s apparent disregard and practicality of killing her affected her the way it had when they found him in the caverns. Which was not to say that she wasn’t bothered by it … just that it was less likely for her to break down again at the thought of what he had done. It seemed that once was enough for her … more than enough, really. But it did wonders for her to simply pour all her emotions out like that. She’d have to make it up to Io somehow, for all her Attendant had done for her. Io, of course, would merely say there was no need, however it didn’t sit right with Alvira to not repay her Attendant in some form. Alvira wasn’t really sure what to get Io, but knew she wanted to get something … she’d have to remember to talk to Coco about it.

Her gaze traveled over her other companions and settled on Yakumo. He was tense throughout their journey through the caverns. Of course, the vestige that a Lost dropped didn’t help matters. Now Alvira knew more about Mido … and why Yakumo hated him so much. After everything she had witnessed within the vestiges - the one they found in the caverns and more recently, the ones which belonged to the Successor - Alvira couldn’t blame him for his anger. A small part of her shared his anger, and her head throbbed yet not in pain and - Alvira must have imagined things because it almost felt like agreement. Alvira found herself unable to think about much else except what she had seen.

How Mido experimented on the orphans  _ entrusted _ to him. How he had smiled when he talked about how he was merely  _ stating his curiosity _ . The joy that was so clear in his voice as he celebrated a breakthrough in his experiments. She remembered the anger which bled into the memory echo, as she watched Mido implant the Queen’s relic into the Revenant, Emily. It wasn’t until they found the first Vestige which belonged to Emily that Alvira understood Yakumo’s anger. She wasn’t sure the sadness which radiated throughout the memory echo was just Emily’s or Yakumo’s as well. She watched the memory echo unfold as Yakumo, Emily, and a fellow soldier named Miguel fought together. Noticed how close they were and how fierce they fought together, always willing to sacrifice themselves so the other two could retreat. She watched as they fought against something monstrous; the vestige didn’t show her what it was, but she had a feeling it wasn’t the Queen or the Lost. Alvira watched as the monsters surrounded them and listened to their screams as they died.

Alvira felt the fear and anger rolling around the memory echo as Mido explained they were now Revenants, threatening to dispose of their friends who had not yet awoken. Alvira watched as Emily fought, and fought, and fought all while looking forward to the day Yakumo would awaken as a Revenant. Yakumo, himself, filled in some details the Vestiges left out, at least the details he could remember. Apparently even before he was a Revenant, Mido experimented on all of them and sold their services as ‘enhanced human soldiers.’ There was a determination within Yakumo now, one that Alvira had rarely seen before. It was actually rather odd, seeing Yakumo, who normally joked with everyone, so silent and serious. Then again, Alvira couldn’t blame him either. She wondered how he was able to keep his emotions under control so well, perhaps it was a leftover from his days as a soldier. Alvira knew she wouldn’t be able to contain herself if anything like that had happened to the people she cared about.

It was a wonder that Yakumo hadn’t stormed ahead of them like she had done in the past. Even so, they tore through the Lost, which was how they found themselves before what could only be Emily’s crypt. Alvira wasn’t really sure if they were waiting for her to continue through or if they were all waiting to see what Yakumo wanted to do. Alvira could still see that determination within Yakumo’s eyes yet there was also a bit of hesitancy as well. Alvira wasn’t really sure what he was hesitant about, maybe he was unsure about everything they had learned? Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that the crypt was seemingly empty? Alvira agreed that it was strange they didn’t see Emily, since like with Nicola’s crypt there was no door which blocked their view. However, like with all of the other crypts, an Attendant guarded the entrance so at least they knew the Successor was within the crypt.

Alvira rolled her eyes and strode past Yakumo, swatting him over the head. “Stop being such an idiot.” That seemed to shake Yakumo out of whatever thoughts were running through his mind and they all walked into the crypt.

Emily dropped down in front of them, and Alvira wasn’t even at all surprised that the Revenant had been twisted by Frenzy. Even hunched over on all fours, Emily was easily still a head or two taller than all of them, two flame-like tails whipped behind her. There was some type of bladed gauntlet upon her right hand, and Alvira was barely able to make out the shape of a sword holstered upon Emily’s back. Yakumo tightened his hold upon his blade and shouted “We’ll save you Emily!” as he rushed in.

Emily was the third Successor they had fought, and was by far the fastest. Even as fast as Alvira was, she found it hard to dodge Emily’s strikes. Were it not for Io’s healing gifts, Alvira suspected they all would have reawakened at the mistle several times over. Yakumo did what he did best: he used his greatsword to block what attacks he could while trying to keep Emily’s attention on him. Mia, further back, used both her rifle and long-ranged gifts to whittle away at Emily’s defenses. Louis, Io, and herself weaved between Emily’s strikes and attacked when they could. While Alvira would freely admit that a fight with a Successor was never  _ easy _ , there was something different about the fight with Emily. Maybe it was the absence of any anger or frustration within Alvira or maybe it was just the fact that all of her companions fought by her side now.

Whatever it was, it made all the difference, and soon enough they were all standing before the relic. “Make it quick,” Yakumo whispered. In complete opposition to what she had done with Nicola’s relic, Alvira calmly placed her hand against Emily’s relic. The same tendrils sprouted from the relic, yet there was no pain as Alvira bent it to her will and they transported into the memories.

_ When her vision cleared, the first thing she saw was Mido standing on a platform; his voice echoed around her, “What are you doing, child?” Alvira followed his gaze down and finally saw what he was standing above. Emily kneeled in front of other unconscious Revenants, her arms outstretched and surrounded by debris. “Those pitiful creations have fallen in the attempt to climb the ladder of evolution.” _

_ There was a desperation in Emily’s voice when she answered, perhaps even a protectiveness, “NO! They’re merely sleeping and will wake before long!” _

_ “Unfortunate that we do not have the luxury of coddling late bloomers.” Mido paused, as if to pretend he actually cared about them, or perhaps he merely thought of something far worse. “However, these failures will fuel your ascension.” _

_ “What do you mean?” Alvira heard the fear within Emily plain as day. “Just keep your hands off of them!” Emily shouted. The floor beneath them gave way and they were sent tumbling into the dark. _

_ A door opened before Alvira when she landed, revealing a hospital room within. Emily kneeled before one of the beds and as Alvira walked further into the room she recognized Yakumo laying there. “I’ll keep everyone safe, Yakumo, somehow,” Emily said. “So when you wake and we meet again, you can pay me back with your onigiri. Understood?” _

_ Another door opened and Alvira walked along the catwalk it revealed. Both Emily and Mido stood at the other end before an opened door. “Take care everyone,” Emily whispered. Alvira really should have expected the walkway to drop out from beneath her, sending her, once more, tumbling through the darkness. _

_ Alvira landed in a crouch, easily recognizing Emily’s crypt with Mido standing before Emily’s frenzied form. “A tempered will can resist the relic’s corruption, just as I knew. Soon humanity will ascend to a higher plane of existence! Knowing all, transcending all, and eventually consuming all!” There was something in his voice that Alvira couldn’t place. “Just you wait, Gregorio, I’ll come for you.” This time, Alvira was ready for the ground to collapse out from beneath her feet. _

_ She landed on a forested path, and up ahead, leaning against a set of stairs, was Emily. Alvira rolled her eyes when it appeared that Yakumo wasn’t going to approach her. She shoved him none too gently and he stumbled forward, barely keeping himself from falling flat on his face before Emily. “Yakumo! You’re all better now!” Emily exclaimed, visibly containing herself from launching into Yakumo’s arms. _

_ “I’m sorry it took so long for me to get here,” Yakumo mumbled, hand scratching the back of his head. Alvira tried her hardest not to groan or bury her face in her hand at how awkward he behaved. _

_ Emily shook her head. “It’s fine, Yakumo.” A smile spread across the Revenant’s face as she raised a finger to point at Yakumo. “Besides, one of the things we all looked up to you for was that you never dwelled on the past. You were always moving forward and -” At the distance that they were standing, Alvira was actually surprised when she heard Emily’s stomach grumble. Alvira didn’t even know a Revenant’s stomach could grumble considering that they didn’t need traditional food like humans did. And that wasn’t even taking into account this was nothing more than a memory echo of Emily and wasn’t technically ‘real’. Emily immediately turned to try and hide her embarrassment, one hand on her neck. “And I guess I missed your onigiri as well.” _

_ Yakumo chuckled and reached into a pouch on his belt, pulling out an onigiri and holding it out to Emily. “Here, take it.” Yakumo said softly. _

_ Emily quickly snatches it from Yakumo’s grasp and devours it. “Just as good as I remember.” She turned back towards Yakumo, a small smile on her face. Even from this distance, Alvira could see Emily start to turn to ash. “Do you remember how you used to hold me when we were little? Could you …” Emily didn’t even have to finish her request before Yakumo had his arms around her. They were silent for several minutes, broken only by Emily saying “Thank you.” _

_ Alvira walked over to the both of them, placed a hand upon the ashen statue’s shoulder and said, “You’re welcome.” They were all blinded by a flash of white as the memory echo faded around them. _

Alvira’s vision returned as golden ash swirled before her, condensing back into Emily within seconds and, like Nicola and Aurora before her, still within that Frenzied form. “Welcome back,” Yakumo said, walking over to stand before Emily for a second time.

Emily took several seconds to examine the form that she found herself in and mumbled, “I’m still in the form I was in before.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Yakumo chuckled, “All that matters is that we’re together.”

Anything else that might have been said was interrupted by the sound of clapping, and they all whirled to face where it came from. There, by the entrance of the crypt, was a figure that Alvira recognized solely because she had seen it within Emily’s vestiges - Juzo Mido. “What a touching scene.” Alvira noted the mockery in his voice. “I almost found myself laughing.”

“Mido!” Yakumo raged, and she was surprised he didn’t attack outright.

“Strange,” Mido said, seemingly ignoring Yakumo, “I don’t see little Jack, he was supposed to be dealing with the Successors.”

“I’ll turn you to ash!” Yakumo yelled, and this time he really did charge forward. He leapt into the air and brought his sword down upon Mido. Yakumo’s attack was blocked upon the blade of a Lost which appeared next to Mido, and was thrown backwards. Three other similar Lost surrounded Mido, and Alvira noticed they looked like what Miguel had been turned into and what she had fought down in the Ashen Caverns.

“Impressive, aren’t they,” Mido stated, crossing his arms across his chest. “My guinea pigs have been gifted the power of the Relics.” Alvira wanted to curse, that explained why Yakumo was thrown back so easily. “I must thank you, though, Yakumo. The children were excellent test subjects.”

Anger pulsed deep within her, Alvira’s grip upon her blade turned her knuckles white. She was about to charge forward when something appeared behind Mido. Jack seemingly appeared behind him, his weapon raised and ready to strike at Mido’s neck. Just as it seemed that Jack’s attack was going to connect, Mido spun on his heel and drove a fist into Jack’s stomach. Jack was barely able to right himself and skid along the ground to a stop, glaring up at Mido.

“There you are, Jack my boy, you’re running late!” Mido taunted, looming over him. “With such an important job, there’s no time to be slacking off.”

“I’m taking back all of the relics you stole,” Jack growled.

“And how are you going to do that? Your vessel is broken,” Mido replied. Even from this distance Alvira could see the confusion on Jack’s face. Mido continued as if he knew what was on everyone’s minds. “So you didn’t notice after all.” A large holo-graphic screen appeared behind Mido, displaying an image of Eva, a syringe piercing her neck. “I gave little Eva a small gift, I imagine she’ll frenzy soon and a frenzied relic will seek out Gregorio. I wonder if she’s already wandering that snowy mountain all by her lonesome.”

Jack bellowed his anger and charged at Mido again, only to have his attack blocked by one of Mido’s guards and thrown back again. Without another word, Mido and his guards disappeared in a swirl of purple mist. They all stood there silently for several seconds, trying to process all that had just occurred. Finally Jack spun on his heel and all but ran, “I have to get to Eva!”

“Wait!” Alvira yelled, surprising herself more than her companions. Yet Jack ignored her and really why did Alvira expect anything else. Alvira repressed the sigh that wanted to escape her lips and walked back towards the mistle. They would need to resupply at home base as quickly as possible and pursue Jack and Eva. It was clear that Mido was up to something and Jack was the only one who might have some answers. Besides, she had her own unfinished business with Jack, and one way or another it was time to confront it.


	10. Queenslayer Part J

It didn’t take them nearly as long to find the way forward as Alvira thought it would. She half expected to wander the Ridge of Frozen Souls for some time before they found what they were looking for. Which was not to say that they didn’t have a general idea of where to look. After all, even though the last time they were here they had been trying to find Nicola, there were few places that they hadn’t explored. So they knew at least the way forward was in one of those unexplored areas. Which didn’t narrow it down as much as Alvira would have liked, but at least they weren’t searching the whole mountain and every little crevice. Soon enough, the snow covered mountain gave way to blazing sun and scorching sands. And there, standing before a mistle … was Jack.

He had his back to them and was merely staring down at the mistle. Alvira walked over, and with a drop of her blood revitalized the mistle. She merely stood there, arms crossed over her chest and waited for Jack to say something. He didn’t, of course, which annoyed her more than it probably should have. Because why did she expect anything else from him? Why did she think he would show any kind of regret or sorrow for all that he had done? Why did she think he’d move past his  _ practicality _ of it all? Why did she think he would  _ understand _ everything that she had been through? So she merely stood there, waiting for him to make the first move, for him to say the first word. Because  _ why should she _ ?

They remained there for what felt like hours, until he finally relented and spoke. “This place looks so much like where Eva is from.” Alvira felt the frown on her face, because of course he would talk about Eva. Of course he would avoid talking about what he had done to Alvira. “We promised each other that if one of us fell to the thirst, the other would end their suffering.” Alvira absentmindedly placed a hand over her heart where he had shot her, and only briefly wondered if he had been affected as well. “I have to get to Eva.”

He made to turn away, but her iron grip upon his shoulder stopped him in his tracks. “No.” Alvira stated simply. One way or another, they were going to address everything. She was not going to allow him to run away  _ again _ . “We do this,” she ground out, barely keeping her anger in check, “ _ Together _ .”

Jack narrowed his eyes and shook her hand off him. “You’ll simply slow me down, and I don’t have time to babysit you all.”

Anger, hot and bright, consumed her and she shoved him up against a cliff face. She bared her fangs, uncaring of the fact the purifier mask hid them, “Babysitting? That’s what you think this is? If that’s the case then you don’t know me at all, Jack Rutherford!” Alvira found that she couldn’t stop, but she didn't care. It felt so good to get everything off her chest. “But then, you don’t really know me, Jack. How could you when you didn’t even try and save me? Do you even know what I went through every day? What it was like to wake and have no memories? How every time I tried to recall something all I felt was pain?”

Alvira grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the cliff face. “And then we encounter each other again, and I  _ remember _ what you did to me. Yet, you go about your business like nothing ever happened. Like you never put a fucking bullet in my chest!” Alvira could feel the tears falling from her eyes but she paid them no mind. “I learned how  _ easy _ it was for you to kill me. How  _ practical _ your reasons were. I see no remorse or sorrow within your eyes for what you had done. How you didn’t even  _ care _ what your actions had done to me.”

Jack growled and pushed her away. “I’m sorry. Is that what you want to hear? You want to hear how, even years later, yes I thought about what I had done to you. How I would question myself if I had taken the right course of action.” For the briefest of seconds, Alvira thought she had seen sadness flash within his eyes. “I told myself that it was the best thing to do, that there were no other options to save you from becoming one of the Lost.” Jack loomed over her, his narrowed eyes glaring down at her. “How I strived to do better to honor your memory!”

“Then prove it.” Alvira snarled, turning on her heel and walked over to her companions. “Jack and I will continue alone,” she told them.

“Are you sure?” Mia asked. The younger Revenant squeezed Alvira’s arm, “You know we’re more than willing to stay by your side.”

Alvira kept her gaze on the ground, unable to look at her companions - to look at Io. “This is something I have to do alone, I’m sorry.” Alvira turned back and strode away before any of them could say anything else, before any of them could argue. Alvira knew that if Io had asked her, had begged to reconsider … Alvira would not have been able to deny her Attendant. However, this was between her and Jack. If she was ever going to truly start to heal, she  _ had _ to do this. All she could do was hope they would understand.

She walked past Jack and didn’t even wait to see if he had followed her. They were silent for a long while, as they traversed through the area. As they fought Lost, Alvira was reminded of the last time they had fought together. It was only mildly surprising to find that they still fought so well together. How, despite that they hadn’t fought together since that faithful operation, they were still able to take advantage of openings the other created. The Lost were stronger than they were during Operation Queenslayer to be sure, yet they still were no match for the two of them. Even with the desert heat feeling as if it was sapping their strength and making it hard to use their gifts, they carried on. They traveled in silence, though whether it was because of their earlier encounter, or because they had nothing else to say to each other, Alvira didn’t know. That was fine, Alvira told herself … or at least, that’s what she tried to tell herself.

But it wasn’t fine? Was it? Because if they didn’t  _ talk _ then they weren’t working out the issues. And if they weren’t working anything out, they were merely ignoring everything. If they were ignoring everything, then what were they solving? Besides, this whole thing was about healing … wasn’t it? It was about finally putting everything behind her and moving forward. She couldn’t do that if she wasn’t willing to make the first move. Anger, hotter than the desert heat, burned within her at the fact that Jack was just as unwilling to confront anything as much as she was. Alvira wrenched her sword out of a Lost with more force than was strictly necessary, knowing that if she didn’t make the first move then they wouldn’t be able to move forward. She wouldn’t be able to start healing. And that irked her more than it should have.

“You know,” Jack said, drawing her attention to him. “For the longest time I was haunted by what I had done to you.” Alvira resisted the urge to say  _ good _ and merely closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, if she was serious about healing … then she had to let go of the anger which threatened to consume her. “Everyone wanted to call me ‘hero’ for what happened during Operation Queenslayer, but all I could think about was you.” Jack kept his back to her, staring down at his hand. “I kept remembering you reaching out begging for help; remembered your expression as the bullet tore through your heart; remembered watching you turn to ash as you fell.”

Alvira remained silent, for what could she possibly have said? Had she been so selfish in thinking that he hadn’t been affected by what he had done? Then again, had he really had an opportunity to confront her about everything? But didn’t he though? The fact that Eva knew where to find Home Base was proof enough that Jack also knew. He had made no move to confront her before now. Or maybe she had just left him with no choice but to explain himself. Alvira should have been annoyed that Jack might never have confronted her if she hadn’t forced his hand.

“I’ve said before that I won’t apologize for what I did.” Jack stated, finally turning to face her. “If I had to make the decision again, I wouldn’t change it.”

“I can’t forgive you, Jack,” Alvira said, placing a hand over her heart. She frowned as a phantom pain shot through her chest.

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Jack said, after a moment of silence. “What I did was unforgivable.”

“But,” Alvira said, walking over and placing a hand on his arm. “Perhaps I can at least understand your reasonings for doing what you did.”

And that was the hardest thing for Alvira to admit. She fully understood  _ why  _ he felt he needed to do it but the fact that he actually executed it and acted as if nothing happened...that was unforgivable. He should have confronted her immediately. Should have had this conversation with her earlier. But no, he pretended as if he didn’t outright murder her. She had to tell herself that he thought she was going to turn into one of the Lost. That he killed her to spare her that fate and not out of any malice.

“It doesn’t excuse my actions,” Jack said. “But at the time we didn’t even know that the Queen’s power could be taken and absorbed. By the time we discovered the Queen’s power could be turned into relics, you had already been dead for years.”

“Then why didn’t you confront me after we encountered each other in the Cathedral of Sacred Blood?”

Jack was silent for several seconds, and Alvira fully expected him not to answer her. “I … didn’t know how.” It was so soft Alvira wasn’t sure she had heard it.

“What do you mean?” Alvira’s voice was as soft as his now.

“It’s not the easiest thing in the world to confront someone you’ve murdered, especially when that person might have been your friend.” 

Alvira understood. It wasn’t every day that someone she murdered came back to haunt her and work with her. Maybe it wasn’t easy for Jack. But it wasn’t easy for her, either. 

“How are we going to do this? Work together, I mean?” 

Alvira sighed, perhaps it was best to concentrate on the matter at hand. She glanced up, seeing Eva’s crypt in the distance. “We rescue Eva.” She stared right into Jack’s eyes, “Then we’ll figure everything else out.”

Jack merely nodded, and together they strode forward. For the first time in a long time, Alvira was at ease. She wasn’t sure how she was going to feel later, when they actually talked about it. But for now, there was a sense of peace within her.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my wonderful wife, DarkxPrincess, for editing this!


End file.
